France urges EU to delist non-compliant ecommerce platforms

Paris - The French government is urging the European Commission to swiftly adopt new powers that would allow it to "delist" online sales platforms that violate EU laws. According to a letter from Minister Véronique Louwagie, obtained by AFP, this measure is primarily aimed at companies like Shein.

Louwagie wrote to European Commissioner for Justice Michael McGrath, stating that it is "necessary and urgent" to give the EU the power to remove platforms from search engine results if they fail to comply with regulations. She also proposed that national authorities be granted the ability to restrict access to these platforms for similar breaches. The minister praised ongoing European investigations into Temu and AliExpress, and acknowledged the challenges posed by Shein.

These three Asian giants face a range of accusations, including the sale of counterfeit and dangerous products, as well as consumer rights violations like false discounts and misleading information.

Louwagie emphasised that these platforms pose several risks, including "pressure on employment in Europe," dangers to consumer safety, non-compliance with European social and environmental standards, and the carbon impact of air transport.

In France, Shein is already under fire from multiple directions. It is the target of a proposed anti-fast fashion bill, has been fined 40 million euros by the Directorate-General for Competition, and faces a potential 150 million euros fine from the French data protection authority (CNIL) over its cookie practices.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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