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The European Union plans to make e -commerce platforms such as TEMU, Shein and Amazon Marketplace responsible for dangerous or illegal products that are sold online, in a campaign on the flood of imports from China.
According to the draft proposal that you see financial times, customs reforms will be required Online platforms To provide data before the goods arrive in the European Union, allowing officials to improve packages and check packages. The suggestion comes amid concerns about the high and fake goods that are charged from Asia directly to European customers.
Currently, any individual in European Union Whoever buys goods online is treated as a importer for customs purposes. But the reforms, if adopted, will turn the responsibility of the platforms.
“The size of the increasing products of unsafe, fake or non -compatible products with the risks of safety and health for consumers has an unsustainable impact on the environment, and feeds the unfair competition of legitimate companies, with a significant impact on the competitiveness in different sectors,” reads the suggestion.
The European Union imported a lower value parcel 4.6 billion in 2024, an increase of four times in 2022. It was more than 90 percent of China. It puts the huge size of these elements a “non -sustainable strain on the authorities”, according to the project.
Under the reforms, online retailers will have to “collect duty and relevant value -added tax” and “ensure compliance with goods with other European Union requirements.” The suggestion also eliminates exemption for goods of less than 150 euros of payment, which makes them subject to customs checks.
Customs data will be collected from the 27 national authorities and a new central customs body is prepared for the European Union (EUCA), according to the draft. The document is still under discussion internally and can change before publishing on February 5.
“Euca will be able to examine goods based on this information and determine potential risks, even before loading goods for transportation or their material access to the European Union,” the document.
“This will allow customs authorities to have a full overview of supply chains, to anticipate controls on imports and exports and provide control recommendations to member states.”
The costs of forgery cost the clothes industry approximately 12 billion euros of annual sales (5 percent of revenues), the cosmetic industry is 3 billion euros (5 percent of sales) and the game industry is 1 billion euros (approximately 9 percent of sales ), According to the offer.
The document adds that the new waste rules in the mass will also force sellers to contribute to the cost of getting rid of unwanted products, including clothes.
The European Union will also consider imposing treatment fees for each package, a plan for the FT for the first time.
Under separate rules, linking market behavior to large online platforms, the committee is already investigating Shein and Amazon and began procedures against Aliexpress and TEMU.
Online markets are exempted from responsibility for the goods that are sold on their website by other sellers unless they sell illegal or dangerous products intentionally or fail to remove them quickly when discovered.
Temu and Shein previously told FT that they are compliance with the rules of the European Union. Timo said it supports policy changes that benefit consumers.
Amazon said it has proactive measures to prevent inserting unsafe products or is not compatible with its location.
