Paris (AFP) – France has urged the European Union to take measures against Asian e-commerce giant Shein, two ministers said Thursday, following an uproar over sales of childlike sex dolls on its French website. The European Commission, which is already investigating Shein for multiple suspected breaches of EU rules, responded that it takes “very seriously” the risks from illegal products on the online platform but did not plan to block access for now.
The Chinese-born giant opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Paris on Wednesday with activists up in arms over the dolls and the environmental footprint of the fast fashion brand. While the shop at the BHV department store remains open, the French government has moved to suspend online sales while it verifies the e-platform is complying with French laws and ordered customs officials to inspect around 200,000 Shein packages.
“The European Commission must take action,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told broadcaster France Info. “The commission has conducted certain investigations. It must now accompany them with sanctions,” he said. French junior minister for digital platforms Anne Le Henanff said she and Finance Minister Roland Lescure had sent a letter to the European Commission urging the EU’s executive arm “to use all its powers to shed light on Shein’s actions.”
“Platforms that benefit from the European market must adhere to its principles,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “The era of impunity is over.” EU digital spokesperson Thomas Regnier told reporters: “The sale of childlike sex dolls is extremely concerning.” “We do not want to see these products being offered to European citizens,” he added. Regnier said there was currently no plan to block access to Shein, and that under the bloc’s Digital Services Act such a step would be a “very last resort” to be taken by the member state hosting the platform — in this case, Ireland, home to Shein’s EU headquarters.
Shein’s chief executive Donald Tang made assurances of the company’s “steadfast commitment to comply with all French laws” in a letter sent Wednesday to France’s commerce minister, asking for a meeting to present immediate steps it would take. France ramped up its crackdown on Thursday, with all Shein parcels arriving at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport — the key entry point for packages from China — to be inspected by customs officials to bolster investigations into the company.
Officials had already found illegal and non-compliant products, including “unauthorised cosmetics, toys dangerous for children, counterfeit goods (and) defective household appliances,” Budget Minister Amelie de Montchalin said on X, after visiting the airport.
The EU added Shein in April 2024 to its list of Very Large Online Platforms subject to tougher obligations under the DSA, a powerful law that forces tech giants to do more to protect European consumers online. It has been looking since February this year into risks linked to illegal products on the site, a possible first step towards a formal investigation under the DSA. In parallel, Brussels has launched a probe along with consumer authorities in several EU countries into practices by Shein that infringe on the bloc’s consumer laws, from fake discount deals to misleading product information.
Shein risks fines unless it tackles the concerns, which it has said it is working to do. Shein said it was banning all sex dolls on its French website after a fraud watchdog alerted authorities over its sale of sex dolls resembling children. French newspaper Le Parisien posted a picture of a childlike doll measuring around 80 centimetres (30 inches) in height and holding a teddy bear that it said was sold on the website. It cited a product description that made clear it was being sold for sexual purposes.
The scandal did not deter hundreds of shoppers from flocking to the upper-end BHV department store in central Paris on Wednesday. “The dolls didn’t stop me from coming,” said Fatima Mriouch, a 48-year-old education worker. Outside, activists distributed a flyer denouncing “suspected forced labour” and “pollution,” and urging passersby to sign a petition against Shein’s presence in the Paris store. Frederic Merlin, director of the SGM company that operates BHV, has said he hopes Shein will help increase footfall at the department store. Nearly 8,000 people visited BHV for the opening on Wednesday, according to store figures. Five other Shein stores are set to open soon in France.
© 2024 AFP
