The European Commission has decided today to take measures to control imports of low value sold online from countries not belonging to the EU with a series of legal tools to try to make consumers benefit from “a safe and sustainable electronic commerce” and also customs increase your collectionsince it intends to eliminate the exemption of customs rights for shipments of less than 150 euros.
Only last year they entered the EU around 4.6 billion low value packagesgoods declared for less than 22 euros, that is, about 12 million packages per day, which is twice the figures of 2023 and three times more than those of 2022. According to Brussels, it has been found that many of these products They do not comply with European regulations.
The vice president in charge of technological sovereignty, Henna Virkkunensays that «the increase in electronic commerce imports in the EU market has brought many challenges. The EU is prepared to face these challenges to ensure that citizens and companies can continue to enjoy numerous benefits of online purchases, at the same time minimizing the risks of dangerous products that threaten the health and safety of consumers. We want to see a sector of Electronic commerce Competitive that keeps safe consumers, offer convenient products and be environmentally friendly ».
In the proposal that the commission has just approved, a legislative package is included for reform customs regulation, which includes the request to the collegislators (the parliament and the council) that adapt as soon as possible the elimination of the exemption of rights from which the goods of less than 150 euros and introduce a simplified tariff for low value shipments. It also proposes other additional measures, such as a non -discriminatory rate on electronic commerce items that should pay the retailers or the platforms that serve to compensate for the cost of supervision of compliance with European standards.
The commission relies on the fact that European merchants who respect quality rules are at risk of being harmed by unfair practices And the sale of counterfeit products through the Internet, in addition to the fact that according to the community executive, “the large number of packages that are sent and transported has a Environmental footprint and negative climatic ».
The approved proposal includes specific measures for imported goods, including the launch of coordinated controls between customs authorities and market surveillance. Brussels trusts that in this way not only non -compliant products would be eliminated from the market but also would collect data to improve risk analysis and complementary information.
In fact, it is expected that in the future the controls will be intensified for certain operators, goods or commercial flows depending on the risk analysis and “the higher the breach rate, the greater the surveillance and the sanctions will be.”
Maros Sefcovicthe Commissioner of Commerce, insisted that “given the rise of electronic commerce, we must intensify efforts to prevent non -compliant products from entering the European market and guaranteeing a loyal competition both for European operators and those of third countries. Our customs authorities are the first pair of eyes on the border, so we must provide them with the appropriate instruments to strengthen our control capacity ». For Sefcovic, the commission wants to “level the playing field for all actors in the electronic commerce sector.”
The Commission ensures that it has already reported its intentions to some of the main operators, among which it mentions «Shein».
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