The European Union is narrow in a grip between the impetuous advance of Chinese e-commerce and the muscle challenge of United States on duties. Platforms like Shein And Lean They flooded the market with torn prices and lightning logistics, but Brussels has no intention of staying to watch. The rules of the game are changing and the EU wants to put order, limiting the imbalances that have favored the Asian giants.
At the same time, the shadow of American duties forces Europe to prepare an equally decisive response against the Big Tech US. In this clash of economic powers, Brussels tries to defend their industry and guarantee more severe safety standards for those who buy online.
Becoming checks on e-commerce platforms
The uncontrolled flow of low -cost packages forced Brussels to review its defenses. European customs intercept thousands of counterfeit products every day, many of which purchased on digital platforms. The problem does not only concern trade, but also security: articles without certifications end up directly in the hands of consumers, including the youngest.
Shein, the Ultra-Fast Fashion giant with a catalog that seems infinite, tries to put a piece by declaring that he has made Over two million quality tests in 2024. To strengthen its image, it has allocated $ 15 million to intensify controls.
New rules for import and competition between companies
Brussels sharpens the weapons to put global e-commerce back in line. On the table there is a reform that will force suppliers to declare in advance what they are entering the EU market. A narrow squeeze to curb the flood of parcels that enter without too many checks. Among the measures discussed, the creation of a central agency Able to cross the customs data of the 27 member countries, avoiding escapade and tax tricks.
For years, the exemption threshold from duties for products below 150 euros has given oxygen to Chinese giants, but now the music changes. The European digital trade sector observes with interest.
The EU evaluates retaliation on services and big techs
In addition to the duties on goods, Brussels could hit the service sector, where the United States boast a commercial assets with Europe of over 100 billion euros. Among the measures under discussion, the possibility of revoking the protection of intellectual rights for American digital companies or suspend the commercial exploitation of their online platforms is evaluated.
Another regulation, which entered into force in 2021, would allow the EU to adopt direct economic countermeasures, such as new customs rates, quantitative restrictions and blocks in public contracts. This tool made it necessary after Washington blocked the functioning of the World Trade Organization, making a commercial arbitration impossible on these issues.
The risk of an internal rift in the EU
One of the fears that winds through European governments is that Washington can decide to Hit only a few countries with targeted dutiesinstead of applying transversal restrictions to the whole EU. This scenario would risk generating divisions between the twenty -seven, complicating the search for a common response. The memory of the 2018 commercial war is still alive, when Europe hit Harley Davidson and Levi’s jeans duties in response to American rates on steel and aluminum. The suspension of those retaliation will expire in March and could rekindle the tension between the two banks of the Atlantic.
