The European Union plans to strengthen consumer protection measures against “very dangerous” goods that are sold on online platforms, including China’s Shein and Alibaba, European Commissioner for Justice Michael McGrath told the Financial Times.
“I am very concerned about the volume of unsafe goods entering the European Union. I think we need to better protect EU citizens,” McGrath said, adding that the authorities also have an obligation to ensure a level playing field for European businesses.
According to the European Commissioner, in 2024, the EU received about 4.6 billion cheap parcels, about 90% of which were sent from China. Most of the time they had toys and cosmetics in them.
According to McGrath, “from year to year” the authorities of the community countries found unsafe goods in parcels, some of them can “even lead to the death of people.” Customs and law enforcement officials were overwhelmed, and, as McGrath admitted, only a small portion of such goods could be identified.
The European Commissioner proposes to update the rules of consumer protection and strengthen the responsibility of online platforms. McGrath noted that the current system “does not meet its purpose,” since trading platforms are not responsible for the goods of third-party sellers.
In November, Brussels began checking Shein due to suspicion of selling sex dolls similar to children, this happened after the French authorities suspended the site in the country. The company has announced a global ban on the sale of these products.
Starting from July 1, 2026, the European Union will impose a duty of € 3 on small parcels arriving from countries outside the union. By 2028, the community will have a pan-European tracking center for shipments, RBC reminds.
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