EU accuses online giant Temu of selling ‘illegal' items
EU regulators believe Temu is not doing enough to protect European consumers from dangerous products and that it may not be acting sufficiently to mitigate risks to users.
'Evidence showed that there is a high risk for consumers in the EU to encounter illegal products on the platform,' the European Commission said in its preliminary finding.
It pointed to a mystery shopping exercise that found consumers were 'very likely to find non-compliant products among the offer, such as baby toys and small electronics.'
Wildly popular in the European Union despite only having entered the continent's market in 2023, Temu has 93.7 million average monthly active users in the 27-country bloc.
The EU said Temu's October 2024 risk assessment was 'inaccurate and relying on general industry information rather than on specific details about its own marketplace.'
Temu is under investigation as part of a mammoth law known as the Digital Services Act (DSA) that forces the world's largest tech firms to do more to protect European consumers online and better police content online.
Temu will now be able to respond to the EU regulators' findings and defend itself, but there is no time limit on how long an investigation may last.
If confirmed to be in breach, the EU can slap a fine on Temu.
Fines under the DSA can go as high as six percent of a company's total worldwide annual turnover and force it to make changes to address violations.
Launched in October, the EU probe continues to investigate other suspected breaches including the use of addictive design features that could hurt users' physical and mental well-being and how Temu's systems recommend content and products.
EU law is under attack
The DSA is part of the EU's reinforced legal weaponry to curb the excesses of Big Tech, with stricter rules for the world's biggest platforms.
It has faced criticism from the US administration under President Donald Trump.
The Republican-dominated judiciary committee of the US House of Representatives described the DSA in a scathing report as a 'foreign censorship threat' on Friday.
Staunch President Donald Trump ally Jim Jordan, committee chair, will meet EU tech sovereignty chief Henna Virkkunen in Brussels on Monday.
There are currently other DSA probes into Chinese online retailer AliExpress, social media platforms Facebook and Instagram and X as well as TikTok.
The EU also wants to crack down on cheap packages that flood into the bloc each year, with a proposal under discussion for a two-euro flat fee per parcel.
Last year, 4.6 billion such packages entered the EU -- more than 145 per second -- with 91 percent originating in China. The EU expects the numbers to increase.
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Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Why Macron's recognition move is significant
Sacre bleu. France will recognize a state of Palestine. Is this a shock or not something to get worked up about? This was posted on social media by President Emmanuel Macron last Thursday. He said he would formalize recognition at the UN General Assembly in September. This was much touted, not least by the French leader himself, even when addressing the UK Parliament. Finally, he has confirmed his commitment, no doubt trying to carve out some legacy in his last two years of office and to show that France is still relevant on the world stage. Will this matter? France joins 147 other states in making this move. It will be the first G7 member to do so. Sweden, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia are so far the only EU member states to have made the move while being part of the bloc, so Macron's announcement is significant. Several other European states did so in the 1980s, including Poland and Hungary during the communist era. Who else might follow suit? France's move will look wiser if others follow. Belgium is a candidate. It has been one of Europe's most ardent critics of Israel. Reports indicate it might make a decision in early September. Canada is also a possibility. However, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni veered away from this. And Germany is unlikely to shift. Then there is the UK. Many hoped that Prime Minister Keir Starmer would consent to a joint position with France. A British-French recognition would have carried more weight. The two colonial powers, the co-authors of the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement, the two European members of the UN Security Council working together symbolically would have had strength. This option has been much debated in Britain over recent months. The government never ruled it out, arguing it was waiting for clarity from the French side. In the end, Starmer has not bitten despite 221 British members of Parliament writing to him to push for this. Starmer had a choice: either side with US President Donald Trump or join Macron. He chose the former. It is a reward for the Palestinian national movement, represented by the PLO and dominated by Fatah. Chris Doyle Palestinians have tended not to be nearly as excited as some politicians in Europe, or even the Western media. Why, many ask, was this not done more than a decade ago or even earlier? Then, there would have been a genuine dynamic toward some form of solution. Why only now as Gaza burns and the Israeli colonization of the West Bank is on steroids? It is now only recognizing a failed dream, not a likely reality. In a choice between recognition and a ceasefire with proper aid access, those in Gaza would definitely take the latter. Talking to Palestinians in Gaza, many dismiss such symbolic gestures. To survive, they need food and water, even above a ceasefire. Death by bombing or shelling is far more preferable for them and their families than the horror of death by starvation or thirst. Recognition will not save a single starving baby. It will not provide lifesaving medicine for those struck down with disease. It will not stop the Israeli attacks on tents in the so-called safe zone. Critics, largely American and Israeli, say Macron is just trying to appease his Muslim voters or attract investment from rich Gulf states. This ignores the massive public support in France for Palestinian rights. Another absurd argument is that this is a reward for Hamas and the atrocities it perpetrated on Oct. 7, 2023. This was trotted out by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, among many others. Why is it absurd? Hamas has not been calling for a two-state solution or pushing for the recognition of a Palestinian state. Every single propagandist for Israel has routinely reminded the world that Hamas wants, in their view, to destroy Israel. If this is a reward for Hamas, it is not one it wished for. It is a reward for the Palestinian national movement, represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization and dominated by Fatah, the rival of Hamas. This is the movement that Western states, certainly European ones, have been supporting. They back the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah in spite of all its flaws. One of Hamas' criticisms of the national movement — one that often hits home among frustrated Palestinians — is that the PLO recognized Israel but the recognition was not mutual. Israel did not recognize a Palestinian state. The PLO abandoned violence but Israel did not. The PLO sought to achieve Palestinian liberation through negotiation but could not liberate one inch of Palestine. This is why recognition matters to the PLO, the party that abandoned the armed struggle and is prepared to talk to Israel, unlike Hamas. So, failing to recognize a state of Palestine undermines the nationalists and boosts the Islamists, which in theory runs against the agenda of European states. Macron deserves some praise. He could have done nothing. But his moral responsibility toward Palestinians is not anchored in recognition. Real leadership demands action to stop the genocide in Gaza. On that front, he is failing just like the rest of the world's leaders. If you cannot stop the genocide, recognition means nothing. • Chris Doyle is director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding in London. X: @Doylech
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
The unstoppable tide of Palestinian solidarity
I rarely visit Rome without stopping at the Campo de' Fiori to pay homage to Giordano Bruno, an Italian philosopher who, in 1600, was brutally burned at the stake during the Roman Inquisition. His crime was daring to challenge entrenched dogmas and to think freely about the infinite nature of the universe. As I stood beneath his imposing statue at the weekend, a strange ruckus suddenly erupted, growing louder as a sizable group of protesters drew closer. Dozens of people of all ages banged on pots and pans with fervent urgency. Following the initial shock and subsequent confusion, it became clear that the protest was an urgent attempt to awaken people to the horrific famine unfolding in Gaza. In no time, more people spontaneously joined in, some clapping in the absence of any other tools to make themselves heard. Waiters from the square's osterie instinctively began to bang their hands on anything that could generate sound, adding to the clamor. 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The use of this insidious tactic is poised to grow exponentially, as it aims to create confusion and turn Palestinians against each other. Palestinians, Arabs and all supporters of justice worldwide must urgently seize this critical opportunity to decisively defeat the Israeli hasbara for good. We must not allow Israel's lies and deceit to once more define the discourse on Palestine on the global stage. This war must be fiercely fought everywhere and not a single space must be conceded — not a parliament, a university, a sports event or a street corner. Bruno endured a most horrific and painful death, yet he never abandoned his beliefs. In the Palestine solidarity movement, we too must not waver from the struggle for Palestinian freedom and the accountability of war criminals, regardless of the time, energy or resources required. Now that Palestine has finally become an uncontested global cause, total unity is paramount to ensure the march toward freedom continues, so that the Gaza genocide becomes the final, agonizing chapter of the Palestinian tragedy.
ArabGT
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US and EU Reach Agreement to Resolve Trade Tensions
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