As ecommerce become an increasingly mature business, more and more laws and regulations come in place. This is also because Europe desperately wants to have one, unified ecommerce market. The Directive on Consumer Right is one of these examples. As of 13 June 2014 it replaced certain directives and it’s focused more on protecting the online consumer than the European Union did before.
Earlier this month, the European Union decided to remove the customs exemption, that was applicable for goods with a value of up to 150 euros, in 2026. The measure targets Chinese platforms, that mostly sell cheap products to European customers. Türkiye expects that it will be unaffected by the new ruling.
Cross-border ecommerce in Europe is expected to increase with an average annual rate of 29 percent, up until 2031. With the rise in cross-border ecommerce, the demand for a smooth customs flow also increases. As customs in Europe become more data-driven, online retailers need to invest in structured data.
Shein and Temu together sell around 3.3 billion euros worth of products in Germany, according to the German Retail Federation (HDE). One in five German consumers plans to make purchases from the Chinese platforms in the run-up to Christmas. “That is somewhat of a paradox”, says HDE director Stefan Genth.
Amazon may have to compensate German customers for the higher Prime subscription fees it unilaterally introduced three years ago. A regional consumer protection authority, which filed the lawsuit, wants Amazon to reverse the price increase and refund the difference to its customers.
European retail and wholesale association EuroCommerce is urging policymakers to quickly implement a unified handling fee for international parcels. A national approach to customs reform and to the parcel tax could undermine the integrity of the single European market.
The Belgian government is considering introducing a levy on parcels imported from outside the European Union. The 2 euro fee per parcel would affect Chinese online retailers such as AliExpress, Shein and Temu. The government intends to use the revenue to help reduce the national budget deficit.
Online consumer spending in Europe grew by 7 percent last year, reaching 819 billion euros. For this year, industry associations Ecommerce Europe and EuroCommerce expect another 7 percent growth. Online spending is growing particularly strongly in Eastern Europe.
The European Commission wants to simplify the use of cookies on websites. It is considering the removal of cookie banners, which are mostly seen as annoying. Visitors often click on consent, without knowing what they are consenting to.
Amazon has caused concern among a large number of electronics sellers. The platform now requires extra prove that their branded products come from authorized suppliers. Those who fail to provide this evidence risk having their products removed from the platform starting September 17, 2025.
In the first half of this year, Temu attracted an average of 115.7 million Europeans to its platform each month. That’s 12.9 million more than in the second half of last year. Remarkably, the growth in Temu’s top European markets was above average.
France is urging the European Commission to take tougher action against online shopping platforms like Shein and Temu if they fail to follow the rules. According to the French government, the EU should have the option to delist such companies from search engines like Google as a sanction. Both consumer safety and fair competition are at stake.
The European Parliament has adopted new proposals to manage the growing influx of substandard and unsafe cheap products into the European Union, from non-EU online stores. Currently, 12 million small ecommerce packages arrive in the EU every day. The new proposals could make checking their quality easier.
According to the German government, cancelling an online purchase should be as easy as placing an order. The Ministry of Justice has announced a cancellation button for online purchases of goods, services, and financial products. The perpetual right of withdrawal is being abolished.
Buying second-hand products online has become common in Germany: 55 percent of consumers bought a used product online last year. Additionally, most Germans are active sellers of used products: 52 percent offered something for sale, mainly fashion, books, and electronics.
Bevh, the German association for distance sellers, is requesting to reconsider European regulations regarding online platforms. The interest group argues that large platforms are being regulated too strictly and claims that this results in discrimination against these platforms, compared to physical competitors.