The EU has prepared a draft proposal on new regulations which would tighten the net by making all eCommerce marketplace platforms responsible for the selling of illegal or unsafe products to consumers in the EU. This would, in principle, prevent items like knives and other weaponry, unsafe electrical and battery operated devices, cosmetics, health aids and toys, from entering the market without inspection and much closer scrutiny. It is also likely to result in a blanket EU-wide banning of certain products.
Under current law it is the consumer who is is considered to be the importer of products ordered from these marketplaces for customs purposes. The reform would change this, so that the marketplace platforms take all responsibility for ensuring that products comply with European regulations, manage the payment of taxes, and ensure compliance with all legal requirements.
This regulation would also enable the EU to fully understand the scale of the overseas businesses using the platforms to sell their products in the EU and target those currently evading local taxes. This action is considered to be primarily aimed at stemming the tide of individual imports by European consumers from unregulated Chinese merchants, specifically those exploiting the Shein and Temu platforms and potentially also from exporting goods to the EU which may have been unethically produced.
Customs data from EU member countries would be centralised and a new EU Central Customs Authority would be established to enable the analysis of data prior to goods being shipped to prevent any non-compliant goods to enter the market.
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