Shoppers are being cautioned about the potential risks of purchasing bargain items from sites like SHEIN or Temu, as the European Union prepares to clamp down on the ‘surge’ of imports from Chinese websites.
According to Reuters, a directive is due to be published tomorrow (February 5), which will cover goods purchased from all non-EU countries. However, the primary target of the directive is Chinese websites, with 91% of ecommerce shipments valued under €150 that are sent to the EU originating from China, totalling 4.6 billion packages in 2024.
The European Commission has stated that products from these sites present “significant safety hazards and risks of non-compliance”, and they plan to release a list of all products that would fall under the crackdown. The Financial Times, having seen a draft of the proposal, reported that this could compel selling platforms to disclose what’s being shipped before it arrives in the EU, creating easier tracking and inspection of packages.
The proposal states: “The surging volume of products that are unsafe, counterfeit or otherwise non-compliant leads to serious safety and health risks for consumers, has an unsustainable impact on the environment, and fuels unfair competition for legitimate businesses, with a significant impact on competitiveness in different sectors.
“The EUCA would be able to screen the goods based on this information and to identify potential risks, even prior to the loading of the goods for transport or their physical arrival in the EU.”
With these proposed changes, online shopping platforms could become liable for dangerous items, shifting responsibility from the consumer to the sites themselves. Currently, the buyer is seen as the importer, but under the new reforms, these e-commerce sites would be treated as importers, making them responsible for ensuring that products comply with EU standards.
The strategy also aims to tackle counterfeit goods and compels companies to pay for the disposal of unwanted items. Additionally, there are plans to introduce handling fees for every package entering the EU.