Joint Statement | European stakeholders united for a level playing field for online marketplaces and effective enforcement

NGOs and European industries are once again joining forces to urge EU policymakers to prioritise closing legal loopholes in the regulation and enforcement of online trade via online marketplaces during the 2024-2029 mandate.

Online marketplaces play a significant role with a growing number of consumers today engaging in e-commerce, matching buyers and third-party sellers, attracted by benefits such as convenient search and payment mechanisms and broad product and seller choice. However, we want to draw attention to the ever-increasing number of non-compliant products available on the EU market through online marketplaces. These products span various policy areas, including product safety, sustainability, intellectual property rights (IPR), or the participation in extended producer responsibility schemes (EPR schemes).

The previous legislative term, through the Green Deal, established rules to help the EU achieve its climate targets and promote a sustainable future. The massive direct imports via online marketplaces are very relevant in the EU internal market. However, insufficient responsibilities for online marketplaces and the ineffective enforcement of existing EU requirements harm the environment, consumers, the competitiveness of European businesses, the functioning of the internal market, and the credibility and impact of EU legislation, as for example in the Green Deal and traditional product and chemical legislation.1

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