UNI Europa welcomes EU steps on e-commerce giants, urges further action

UNI Europa welcomes the European Commission’s recent Communication, “A Comprehensive EU Toolbox for Safe and Sustainable E-Commerce”, as a significant step toward ensuring consumer safety and fair competition in the digital marketplace.

The reforms would require online marketplaces Temu, Shein, and Amazon Marketplace, which serve millions of customers in Europe, to disclose more information on EU-bound packages in order to better control and inspect them.

The Commission is also considering closing the tax loophole that benefits cheap fast-fashion retailers like Shein and Temu, allowing them to ship packages without import duties that apply to higher-value (over €150) packages. Temu and Shein workers face subpar working conditions in the absence of collective agreements. This allows them to put companies with collective agreements and quality jobs at a competitive disadvantage both in the European Union and abroad.

While these proposals are welcome to level the playing field in e-commerce, we are concerned that the Communication does not adequately address the critical issue of forced labour in global supply chains. Notably, major e-commerce platforms like Temu and Shein have faced allegations of selling products produced under forced labour conditions. We urge the Commission to implement stricter measures to prevent the import and sale of goods produced by forced labor, thereby upholding human rights and protecting workers worldwide.