The European Commission is taking measures to address the risks derived from low-value imports sold through online retailers not belonging to the EU and markets that house merchants not belonging to the EU. These actions are part of the Communication on electronic commerce, “A complete set of EU instruments for a safe and sustainable electronic commerce”, which the Commission has proposed. In a statement, they have explained that the commission encourages actions, among others, in the fields of customs and trade, such as the implementation of customs controls, consumer protection, and the Digital Services Law and the Digital Markets Law.
Last year, around 4,600 million shipments of little value, that is, goods with a value not exceeding 150 EUR, entered the EU market, which is equivalent to 12 million daily packages. This is double that in 2023 and the triple that in 2022, and many of these products have breached European legislation. This exponential growth is provoking numerous concerns. Mainly, more and more harmful products are in the EU. Moreover, European sellers, who respect our high product standards, run the risk of being harmed by unfair practices and the sale of counterfeit products through online markets. Finally, the large number of packages that are sent and transported has a negative environmental and climatic footprint.
In Europe, consumers must enjoy all the potential of electronic commerce and have access to convenient, affordable, safe, and high-quality online products. Similarly, European companies should benefit from equitable competition conditions in the single market. The Commission exposes all the instruments that the EU already has and highlights the initiatives currently debated by the colleges. In addition, it proposes new joint actions to address the concerns derived from the increase in insecure, counterfeit products, and otherwise non-compliant or illicit that enter the market.
Some of the proposed actions include:
* Customs Reform, including a call to quickly adopt the proposed customs union reform package, allowing the rapid application of new standards to level competence conditions in the field of electronic commerce.
* Specific measures for imported goods, including the launch of coordinated controls between customs authorities and market surveillance, as well as coordinated actions in product safety.
* Protecting consumers in online markets, highlighting electronic commerce practices as a clear priority of compliance by virtue of the Digital Services Law.
* Using digital tools, which can help facilitate the supervision of the Electronic Commerce overview through the digital passport of products and new AI tools for the detection of potentially non-compliant products.
* Environmental protection, including the adoption of the first action plan on the Regulation on Ecological Design for Sustainable Products.
* Training consumers and merchants through awareness campaigns on the rights of consumers, risks, and resource mechanisms.
* International Cooperation and Commerce, including the realization of training activities on the safety standards of EU products and the evaluation of any test that may arise in relation to dumping and subsidies.
The Commission has asked the Member States to join to play an important role as a European team in order to improve the effectiveness of the measures taken by the national authorities and the Commission. The cooperation network in terms of Consumer protection of the national consumer protection authorities and the commission also have informed about the implementation of a coordinated action.
Within a year, the Commission will evaluate the effect of the actions announced and will publish a report on the conclusions of the increase in controls. In light of the results and in consultation with the relevant authorities of the Member States and the interested parties, the Commission will study whether the existing frameworks and the execution activities are sufficient and adequate. Otherwise, new measures and proposals will be studied to strengthen the application and compliance with EU standards.
Electronic commerce contributes many benefits to consumers, companies – including SMEs – and the EU economy as a whole, since around 70% of Europeans regularly buy online products. However, it also raises certain challenges. This is especially true when it comes to the importation of electronic commerce products that are sold and delivered directly to EU consumers through retailers and online markets. Customs authorities face an increasing workload and are emerging risks related to the safety and fulfillment of products, illicit goods, sustainability, and unfair competition for responsible companies. For example, about half of the counterfeit products seized on the EU borders that violated the intellectual property rights of SMEs were bought online.