After the announcement of new EU measures in the e-commerce sector, German Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) is pushing for a swift implementation of the plans. “This now needs to be quickly and concretely put into effect” Habeck said on Wednesday.
In the face of the daily flood of unverified packages being shipped into the European Union via e-commerce platforms, swift and consistent action is necessary, the Green party’s chancellor candidate said. “Uncertain products harm consumers.”
Regarding the specific plans of the European Commission, Habeck stated that these align with many of the measures identified by the federal government, as well as important additional proposals. The BMWK will “continue to actively participate in the implementation” Habeck said, adding that the federal government had already taken a step forward with the e-commerce action plan.
According to the latest figures from the European Commission, 4.6 billion packages worth less than 150 euros were imported into the EU in 2024, with 91% of them coming from China. This is four times more than in 2022, equivalent to more than 12 million packages per day in the EU. Many of these imports violate European laws, for example, in the areas of product safety and consumer protection.