On Friday 18 July, the European Commission presented the results of the first investigation into products entering the internal market since the new General Product Safety Regulation came into force.
It focused on products for young children, with more than 1,700 items checked between 1 April and 15 May 2025, including items from platforms that have already been the subject of criticism, such as AliExpress, Amazon, Shein and Temu (see EUROPE 13654/10).
According to the results, online sales platforms meet the basic requirements (“95% of them correctly identify products, for example using images or barcodes”), but still do not provide consumers with enough information on the origin or manufacture of products.
“Only 53% of platforms have registered a point of contact with the relevant supervisory authorities or have registered on the Safety Gate portal”, the survey details.
Many of the products targeted by withdrawal orders are also found later on other platforms, with no indication of their dangerousness.
In February, the Commission published a communication outlining ways of trying to better regulate the flood of goods entering the EU every day from third countries (see EUROPE 13664/15).
According to a report by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), published in November, EU customs prevented counterfeit and potentially dangerous goods worth almost €3.4 billion from entering the Single Market in 2023. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)