Seventy commercial brands affiliated with Comeos, the Belgian Federation for Commerce and Services, have written an open letter to Belgian and European policymakers urging action against Asian online platforms like Temu and Shein.
The signatories – including high street brands such as A.S. Adventure, Colruyt, Carrefour, Club, Delhaize, e5, Exki, Fnac/Vanden Borre, Inno, Mediamarkt, Nespresso, and online stores like Amazon and Bol – argue that these platforms "violate environmental laws and consumer rights".
They are calling for a level playing field for all traders operating in the Belgian market.
Millions of parcels every day
Customs data reveals that 2.5 million parcels from outside Europe are delivered daily to Belgium, many from China. The signatories note that some parcels are exempt from import duties and receive simplified customs checks.
The group of retailers predict that by 2024 Belgium will receive one billion parcels annually – double the amount in 2023. Only 0.005% of these parcels can be inspected, whereas other traders face weekly or even daily inspections.
The companies warn that these practices pose a threat to the economy and public health, citing inspection services that report one in three products from certain platforms fail to meet European CE standards.
A Bpost distribution centre in Evere, May 2024. Credit: Belga
The signatories are demanding improved and simplified customs controls that would see inspections of traders, "whether physical or online", based on risk analysis. They also ask that customs duties be imposed on parcels worth less than €150, which are currently exempt from duties under European law.
Additionally, they call for better data exchange between European countries and for a European Digital Product Passport to "provide necessary information for product traceability and help remove non-compliant products from circulation".
Lastly, the businesses urge the strict enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) to regulate major tech companies and protect consumers and sellers on digital platforms.
In a statement, a SHEIN spokesperson said that the platform is "committed to ensuring that consumers in Belgium and across the EU can shop online with peace of mind, in line with our commitments under the EU Digital Services Act".
"Our on-demand business model reduces inefficiency, lowers wastage of material, and enables us pass these savings on to our customers. It is because of this cost and choice advantage that customers continue to choose SHEIN. We fully support reforms that benefit European consumers and ensure transparent competition on a level playing field," they said.
