EU to tighten checks on items bought by websites resembling Shein and Temu | Retail trade

On-line retailers resembling China’s Shein and Temu will face strict new customs controls as a part of a crackdown by the European Fee on “harmful merchandise” flooding the EU market.

The fee stated most of the billions of low-value merchandise that enter the EU every year weren’t compliant with the bloc’s legal guidelines and that European corporations that revered the foundations had been dropping out to opponents promoting unsafe or counterfeit merchandise.

The European Fee vice-president Henna Virkkunen stated the rise in e-commerce had introduced “many challenges” and that the EU needed to minimise “the dangers of harmful merchandise that threaten the well being and security of customers. We wish to see a aggressive e-commerce sector that retains customers secure, gives handy merchandise, and is respectful of the atmosphere.”

Final yr, 4.6bn low-value parcels entered the EU, equal to 12m a day, 3 times greater than in 2022.

In a coverage paper revealed on Wednesday, the fee stated it might work with nationwide customs authorities within the EU’s 27 member states to give attention to unsafe merchandise bought on-line, together with stepping up market surveillance and testing.

The rise in low-cost merchandise purchased on-line, usually from Chinese language firms, is growing stress on customs authorities, the fee stated. It referred to as on EU lawmakers – member states and MEPs – to take away the obligation exemption on imports priced under €150 (£125) and advised they contemplate imposing a dealing with payment on retailers to cowl the hovering prices of supervising compliance with EU guidelines.

The EU govt can also be involved concerning the environmental impression of the flood of low-cost imports, from the air pollution concerned of their manufacturing and transport to the “critical challenges” posed to European recycling authorities, left to take care of low-quality, poisonous or laborious to recycle merchandise.

The clampdown comes after Donald Trump’s 10% tariffs on Chinese language items closed a authorized loophole that allowed China’s fast-fashion firms to ship items beneath $800 (£638) into the US duty-free.

Final October, the fee began authorized motion towards the Chinese language on-line market Temu over considerations that it was failing to cease the sale of unlawful merchandise.