Chinese language on-line market Temu and fast-fashion retailer Shein can be responsible for the sale of unsafe and harmful merchandise on their platforms, the European Fee stated on Wednesday, as a part of a crackdown towards a flood of low cost e-commerce imports into the European Union.
The EU government additionally stated it will coordinate a joint investigation by the Shopper Safety Cooperation Community of nationwide client authorities into Shein primarily based on suspicions that the corporate infringes EU client safety guidelines.
The measures by the EU government echo an identical push by the U.S. authorities which ended a commerce provision this week utilized by retailers together with Temu and Shein to ship low-value packages duty-free to the US.
The Fee stated its issues had been triggered by some 4.6 billion low-value gadgets under 22 euros ($23) imported into the EU final 12 months, equal to 12 million parcels per day, 91% of which got here from China. The 4.6-billion-euro determine was double that in 2023.
“Below sure circumstances, marketplaces will also be held responsible for the sale of non-compliant or harmful merchandise. They’re exempted from legal responsibility for the unlawful behaviour of the sellers, however topic to sure circumstances,” the Fee stated in its tips.
It stated low cost, unsafe imports posed unfair competitors to EU sellers that comply with the foundations whereas the massive variety of packages being shipped has a unfavourable impression on the atmosphere and local weather.
The EU government will even suggest to EU nations a dealing with payment for e-commerce imports to satisfy the price of supervising such imports.
The Fee, which in 2023 proposed scrapping the duty-free exemption for parcels under 150 euros as a part of a reform of the bloc’s customized guidelines, urged EU nations to rapidly undertake the measure.
Below a brand new measure known as product security sweep, EU nations can for the primary time verify through an e-surveillance instrument earlier than merchandise are shipped whether or not they’re harmful or not.
“We need to see a aggressive e-commerce sector that retains customers protected, gives handy merchandise, and is respectful of the atmosphere,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunnen stated in a press release.
Shein stated it will have interaction with the buyer companies and the Fee.
“We share the CPC Community’s purpose of guaranteeing European customers can store on-line with peace of thoughts, and we intend to work carefully with the CPC Community and the Fee to handle any issues,” a spokesperson stated.
Temu, already the topic of an EU investigation underneath the Digital Providers Act since final October, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. Fee officers stated they had been assessing its response to their issues and people of client watchdogs.