European Commission To Impose Fine On Firms Importing ‘Harmful Products’

European Commission To Impose Fine On Firms Importing ‘Harmful Products’

Strap – Notes that many e-commerce packages were unsafe and counterfeit

To tackle a surge of ‘harmful products’, a bulk of them from China, the European Commission has proposed imposing a new fee.

At a press conference in Brussels, the EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said the bloc noted the number of e-commerce packages reaching reach 12 million a day between 2023 and 2024. She added that many of those products were found to be unsafe, counterfeit or dangerous.

The Commission told EU lawmakers and member states to ‘consider’ a handling fee on online purchases imported directly to consumers. This would address the "costs of supervising compliance of billions of consignments with EU rules," she said.

Virkkunen explained, “The Commission aims to address growing concerns about the impact of those products on the health and safety of the European consumers.

“It also looks into the significant environmental and climate damage caused by those shipments, and also the unlevel playing field which rogue traders create for our SMEs and businesses," she stressed.

The Commission observed that 90 percent of packages came from China, many sold by the booming low-cost platforms Shein and Temu.

Brussels suspected that the two Chinese platforms were not doing enough to prevent the products’ sale that do not meet European standards. It confirmed, the investigation into online clothes retailer Shein for not abiding by the bloc's consumer protection rules.

Brussels is coordinating the investigation with the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network, which aligns with the competent authorities of the bloc's 27 member states.

If found guilty, Shein risks being fined.

However, the company said, ‘to study the recommendations’, it would ‘engage’ with its partners at the EU and national level. "We welcome efforts that enhance trust and safety for European consumers when shopping online.”

In October last, the Commission investigated Temu, which sells a range of goods at low costs.