MEPs addressed current e-commerce challenges and the profound impact that they are having on the European single market.

During their first official visit for eight years, MEPs met with Chinese parliamentarians and regulators to study the local business model and its market supervision framework. They looked into the differences between the European and Chinese consumer protection systems, and possible areas for collaboration. They visited dominant e-commerce platforms Alibaba, Shein and Temu, EU company representatives and Chinese customs authorities.

The discussions focused on the massive surge in e-commerce parcels arriving in Europe from China (representing 91% of all small parcels), the increasingly uneven playing field between the two parties. The structural overcapacities in Chinese production models are leading to the flooding of the internal market, harming fair competition, MEPs warned. In light of recent scandals involving Chinese e-commerce platforms, the MEPs…