Temu and Shein sell dangerous products in Europe

Temu and Shein have already been targeted by European authorities for investigations into violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and consumer protection laws. Michael McGrath, European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, wants to prevent the arrival of millions of dangerous products from China. Two possible solutions are being considered, as announced by the European Commission in early February.

No exemption and management fee

Every day, over 12 million low-value packages from China enter Europe. In 2024, approximately 4.6 billion packages worth less than €150 were delivered. These packages face fewer customs checks because they are duty-free. This results in millions of illegal and dangerous products entering Europe.

Commissioner McGrath is awaiting the results of a secret procurement operation to further verify the evidence already gathered confirming Chinese retailers' violations of the law . Examples cited include baby pacifiers with beads that easily detach and can be swallowed, children's raincoats containing toxic chemicals, sunglasses without UV filters, and cosmetics containing butylphenyl methylpropional (Lilial), a chemical classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction and therefore banned from March 2022.

McGrath said:

I am determined to step up enforcement of product safety laws and consumer protection rules. This isn't just about protecting consumers, but also about a very serious level playing field for European businesses, which are forced to compete with vendors who don't follow our rules.

The European Commission outlined two possible solutions to reduce the number of illegal products at the beginning of February 2025 : eliminating the duty exemption for parcels worth less than €150 and introducing a parcel handling fee to cover the costs of increased customs checks.

Spokespeople for Temu and Shein stated that sellers must comply with safety laws. At the end of October 2024 , the European Commission launched an investigation into several aspects of possible violations of the DSA, including ineffective measures to block the sale of illegal products. A similar investigation was launched by the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network against Shein at the beginning of February 2025 .