The European Parliament has called for stronger enforcement of EU laws and more severe penalties in response to recent scandals involving e-commerce platforms, following controversy in France over the sale of illegal and unsafe products online.
On Wednesday, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) adopted a resolution addressing concerns about illegal and unsafe goods sold to consumers in the EU through online marketplaces, particularly those based outside the EU such as Shein, Temu, AliExpress, and Wish. The move follows a parliamentary debate that was triggered by reports from France involving sales of child-like sex dolls and weapons on these platforms. MEPs highlighted ongoing failures in oversight and prevention mechanisms for these marketplaces.
Parliament described the incidents in France as “a serious breach of EU law and a threat to the safety of consumers and minors in particular,” urging both the European Commission and member states “to move from dialogue to decisive and timely enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR).”
MEPs criticized what they see as slow progress by the European Commission in investigating non-EU online platforms. They argued that operations should be suspended temporarily when there are “repeated, serious, or systemic breaches of EU law,” such as those seen with Shein in France. According to the resolution text, temporary shutdowns should not be considered only as an exceptional or last-resort measure.
Concerns were also raised about high volumes of non-compliant small parcels arriving from companies like Shein. MEPs attributed this issue to business models focused on speed, profit maximization, and excessive consumption. They also cited issues such as underpaid labor, unlawful imitation of designers’ work, marketing of unsafe products, and growing textile waste linked to low prices.
The resolution calls for increased financial and operational support for customs and market surveillance authorities. This includes more funding under future EU budgets as well as consideration for a harmonized handling fee at the EU level that complies with World Trade Organization rules to cover supervisory costs.
MEPs emphasized “the need for more dissuasive sanctions,” suggested bringing forward implementation timelines for customs reforms, and recommended new regulatory obligations for online marketplaces to address loopholes and ensure accountability when non-compliant goods enter the EU market.
