MEPs addressed current e-commerce challenges and the profound impact that they are having on the European single market.
During their first official visit for eight years, MEPs met with Chinese parliamentarians and regulators to study the local business model and its market supervision framework. They looked into the differences between the European and Chinese consumer protection systems, and possible areas for collaboration. They visited dominant e-commerce platforms Alibaba, Shein and Temu, EU company representatives and Chinese customs authorities.
The discussions focused on the massive surge in e-commerce parcels arriving in Europe from China (representing 91% of all small parcels), the increasingly uneven playing field between the two parties. The structural overcapacities in Chinese production models are leading to the flooding of the internal market, harming fair competition, MEPs warned. In light of recent scandals involving Chinese e-commerce platforms, the MEPs expressed their particular concerns about the systemic health and safety risks for European consumers and the lack of platform oversight. In this context, they urged the platforms’ representatives to put the necessary preventative measures in place and to abide by the EU’s digital and consumer safety requirements. The MEPs stressed that safety and digital standards are non-negotiable and apply to all companies equally.
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Concluding the visit on Thursday, the chair of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee and delegation head Anna Cavazzini (Greens/EFA, Germany) said:
“It was important to come to China to meet with our counterparts and representatives of key e-commerce companies, to explain our rules in person. We have seen the e-commerce model shifting dramatically in recent years- it is a new reality but not a sustainable one if the rules are not enforced. While all consumers should have access to affordable consumer products, they should not have to worry about their health and safety when shopping.
More needs to be done to ensure companies are held accountable when rules are not followed. Whether it is about selling consumer products, removing dangerous toys from the market before they reach children, or paying customs fees – the same rules apply to everyone. We want to see rapid improvements and we want to ensure that our warnings are being taken seriously by China’s authorities and companies”.
Composition of the delegation
The MEPs that took part in the delegation were IMCO chair and delegation head Anna Cavazzini (Greens/EFA, DE), Andreas Schwab (EPP, DE), Dirk Gotink (EPP, NL), Christel Schaldemose (S&D, DK), Pierre Jouvet (S&D, FR), Virginie Joron (Pfe, FR), Piotr Muller (ECR, PL), Stephanie Yon-Courtin (Renew, FR), and Engin Eroglu (Renew, DE), chair of Parliament’s delegation to China.
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