EU Plans Crackdown on Dangerous Products from Chinese E-commerce Platforms

1. The Main Issue: The EU Commissioner for Justice, Michael McGrath, stated that the EU plans to crack down on “extremely dangerous” products sold on Chinese platforms like Alibaba and SHEIN to protect European consumers.

2. Safety Concerns:

• McGrath warned that a large number of unsafe goods are being shipped directly from China to EU households.
• These products include toxic toys (like slime) and items with easily accessible batteries that children could swallow.
• Commonly seized items are cosmetics and toys. Some illegal products found on SHEIN include weapons and inappropriate dolls.

3. Large Volume of Packages:

• In 2024, about 4.6 billion low-priced packages entered the EU, with 90% coming from mainland China.
• Customs and law enforcement are overwhelmed and can only intercept a very small fraction of these unsafe products.

4. New Regulations and Actions:

• Strengthening Enforcement: McGrath wants to give the European Commission more power to investigate cross-border cases and implement stronger deterrents.
• France’s Action: French authorities have called to suspend SHEIN’s operations and are seeking to ban AliExpress and Joom due to illegal product listings.
• New Taxes: To reduce the volume of small packages, the EU will cancel tax exemptions for packages under €150. Starting July 1 next year, a €3 customs fee will be charged on all small imported packages.
• U.S. Example: The U.S. government has already removed tax exemptions for packages under $800 this year, which significantly reduced the number of small parcels sent to the U.S.

5. Company Responses:

• SHEIN: Claims they share the EU’s goal of consumer safety and are “fully cooperating” with French authorities.
• Alibaba and Joom: Have not yet responded to requests for comment.

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