Six countries of the European Union, including France and Germany, are asking Brussels to tighten the screws against the online shopping sites Temu and Shein suspected of selling products that are sometimes dangerous for consumers.
“Every day, hundreds of thousands of packages arrive at our home, especially from China, with goods that do not comply with European market rules,” said German State Secretary for the Economy Sven Giegold. before a meeting on Thursday with his counterparts in Brussels.
In a document consulted by AFP, Germany asked the European Commission to “take all necessary measures” to “rigorously apply” the new EU legislation on digital services (DSA), citing risks harm to consumers and unfair competition.
The document specifically mentions Temu and Shein. In addition to France, it is supported by Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Poland.
At the end of June, the Commission requested information from Temu and Shein in order to verify their compliance with European rules on consumer protection. Brussels particularly questioned these platforms of Chinese origin about the measures they implement to allow the reporting of illegal products.
Other requests concern deceptive interfaces (“dark patterns”) which make it possible to manipulate user behavior, the protection of minors, the transparency of product recommendation systems, or even the traceability of sellers on these platforms.
These various points are subject to obligations or prohibitions within the framework of the DSA which came into full force on February 17. Both companies affirmed their willingness to cooperate with the authorities.
Requests for information are a first step which can lead to the opening of a formal investigation, and ultimately to heavy financial sanctions in the event of proven regulatory violations.
Brussels had added, respectively at the end of April and the end of May, Shein and Temu to the list of digital giants supervised directly by the Commission and subject to reinforced controls under the DSA.
This list includes 24 major platforms, including Amazon, AliExpress, Google Shopping, Facebook, X or Instagram.
Shein, an application founded in China in 2012, is considered an emblem of the social and environmental excesses of low-cost fashion.
Temu, which is experiencing meteoric growth in Europe thanks to a strategy of low prices, is the international version of the Chinese e-commerce juggernaut Pinduoduo, born in 2015. It offers a plethora of products: clothing, toys, decoration, tools, high-tech…
This article was automatically published. Sources: ats / awp / afp
