The measures proposed by the Commission for e-commerce are insufficient – they will not reduce the wave of parcels

The commerce sector is disappointed by the Commission’s communication, as it does not propose measures to increase the responsibility of online platforms for the safety and other EU conformity of products sold on them. The communication places responsibility on the member states and national authorities without taking into account their actual prerequisites for intervening in the explosively increasing wave of parcels.

“It is unrealistic to think that in the long term, post-monitoring by the authorities would make it possible to check the 4.5 billion shipments arriving in the EU area, i.e. approximately 12 million parcels per day. As a result, post-monitoring cannot be permanently effective. Regulation must ensure that products are safe when they end up on the market. The Commission does not propose any measures in this regard,” says Kari Luoto, Managing Director of the Finnish Commerce Federation.

The Commission does not propose new, quick-acting measures. Instead, it mainly lists the obligations of existing legislation and legislation that is still partly in implementation, which mainly concern companies operating in Europe, increasing their administrative burden. The measures listed by the Commission do not in any way ensure that companies operating from third countries, especially Chinese online platforms such as Temu and Aliexpress, will comply with the same rules.

The Nordic commerce sector criticises the Commission

The Nordic commerce sector organisations are concerned about the inadequacy of the Commission’s measures and have jointly taken a stand for more effective measures.

At the same time as the Commission’s communication is published, the problem is being tackled briskly in the USA, where mail deliveries from China are being suspended at President Trump’s request.

“We are calling for urgent additional action from the Commission to ensure that online platforms follow the same rules as European companies. This is the only way to ensure equal competitive conditions and product safety,” says Luoto.

“If the Commission does not tackle the problem promptly, there is a risk that even more parcels will flow to Europe in the future,” predicts Luoto.

Attachment: Statement of the Nordic commerce sector organisations 5 February 2025

For further information, please contact: Kari Luoto, Managing Director, Finnish Commerce Federation, tel. +358 (0) 400 688 708, kari.luoto(at)kauppa.fi