Contaminants in Consumer Products: European Commission Takes Aim at Chinese Online Platforms

The European Commission wants to curb the import of unsafe products and is calling for more-effective surveillance of customs and the market. To this end, national customs authorities in the 27 EU member states are to work more closely together in the future.

Gateway: online platforms

According to an EU press release, about 4.6 billion parcels entered the EU market through online platforms last year. That’s 12 million parcels a day. And the trend is rising. There were twice as many in 2024 as in 2023 and three times as many as in 2022. Most of the goods come from China and are worth less than €150 each. The problem is that many of these goods contain harmful substances in concentrations that have long been banned in the EU.

Customs authorities under pressure

Consumer protection violations have been uncovered during past inspections. At that time, almost one in five products sold online violated EU law. The EU now wants to put a stop to this uncontrolled online trade. Among other strategies, it plans to introduce a processing fee for parcels from online retailers such as Temu and Shein. The fee is to offset the rising costs for customs authorities. The current duty exemption for shipments worth less than €150 would thus be history.

EU customs data platform to the rescue

As part of the EU customs union reform, the EU wants all importing companies to conduct their business via the newly established EU customs data platform. This platform gives importers a complete overview of supply chains and the movement of goods. Traders who act in accordance with the law should then be allowed to market goods as “Trust & Check” traders without the active intervention of EU customs authorities.

Timetable

The data platform will become available in 2028 for electronic trade shipments and in 2032 on a voluntary basis to all importers. In 2035, extension of this option to all economic operators will be examined for readiness when the platform becomes mandatory for all in 2038.

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