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The European Commission has warned about a rapid rise in unsafe products detected in the EU, which comes primarily from China, as BLOCs are trying to stop the surge in cheap e-commerce imports.
The committee on Wednesday said it received more than 4,000 alerts for dangerous products last year. This is the highest number since the EU-wide system was established in 2003.
According to the committee, cosmetics account for 36% of dangerous products. The most common risk factors were dangerous chemicals, such as synthetics called BMHCA. This is prohibited in the EU to injure the reproductive system.
About 40% of the unsafe products flagged last year were imported from China, the committee said.
The China Chamber of Commerce in Brussels did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This report comes as Bloc attempts to crack down on a sharp increase in products sold on platforms such as Temu, Shein and Amazon Marketplace. European customers received low value packages of over 4 billion last year, with around 90% of which delivered directly from China and rarely being inspected as they are tax-free.
In February, the committee proposed that e-commerce companies be liable for selling dangerous or illegal products to the EU on their platforms, and also to abolish current tariff exemptions for products under 150 euros. They also want to establish an EU customs authority.
Michael McGrath, the EU commissioner responsible for consumer protection, said the alert system “will enable us to quickly address the risks pose by dangerous goods across the EU.”
The report found dangerous chemicals were detected in blood sucking, clothing, jewelry and toys, in addition to cosmetics. Alerts have also been issued for some electrical appliances and cars.
Italy has the highest number of dangerous product alerts and is also the third most important country of origin for its products, accounting for 16% of that.
Approximately 24% of the warnings were products from other countries within the European economy, including the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
