The e-commerce giants have signed an agreement with the EU to set up a new rapid reaction system for online sales of dangerous products. The four major players in the sector - Alibaba for AliExpress, Amazon, eBay and Rakuten France - undertake to "react to notifications of dangerous products sent by the authorities of the Member States within 2 working days - reads a statement - and to take measures to following reports from customers within 5 working days".
According to Eurostat data, in 2016 one in five sales in the EU was made online. In this context, more and more dangerous products are being notified to sellers and authorities.
The latest Community directive on electronic commerce provides notification and removal procedures for problematic content, but does not regulate them in detail. For this reason, the big four have accepted a series of commitments for greater consumer protection.
“Consumers should enjoy the same level of security when shopping online as they can count on when shopping in-store – said European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Vera Jourová – I welcome the commitment regarding product safety, which will further improve safety for consumers. I also invite other online marketplaces to join this initiative, so that the internet becomes a safer place for EU consumers".
The companies have also made efforts on other fronts:
- provide specific single contact points for EU Member State authorities to report dangerous products and to facilitate communication on product safety issues;
- take steps to prevent the reappearance of already deleted dangerous product entries;
- provide information and training to sellers on compliance with EU legislation on product safety;
- require sellers to comply with the legislation and provide them with the link to the list of EU legislation on product safety.
The European Commission will assess progress on the commitments made every six months and publish a report on it.
