The results of a large-scale random inspection announced by the French General Authority for Competition, Consumption and Anti-Fraud on Wednesday showed that up to 75% of the products purchased from major e-commerce platforms did not meet EU standards, and nearly half of them were judged to be "dangerous". This discovery comes as the European Union tightens supervision of cross-border e-commerce platforms.
France's DGCCRF purchased more than 600 products from seven overseas e-commerce platforms for testing in 2025, three times the number of tests in previous years. The results show that only 25% of products fully comply with EU standards. Among all tested products, 46% not only violated regulations, but also had safety hazards such as electric shock, fire, suffocation, or excessive amounts of harmful chemicals.
The detection results show the characteristics of systematic violations. All electrical products tested failed, with nearly three-quarters posing a risk of electric shock or fire. Choking risks and excessive levels of chemicals are common in children's products, jewelry and clothing.
"When the non-compliance rate reaches 70 to 75 percent, it is no longer an exception but part of the business model," a DGCCRF official told a news conference. The agency said the results will be submitted to the European Commission for processing.
It is worth noting that the testing agency did not announce the names of the seven platforms and their respective test results, because the investigation is still ongoing.
The release of the random inspection results comes at a time when the European Union and France are intensively introducing regulatory measures against cross-border e-commerce platforms.
France has imposed a tariff of 2 euros on each small package of less than 150 euros on March 1 this year; the EU plans to impose a uniform import processing fee of 3 euros on each incoming low-value e-commerce package from July 1.
According to 2025 data, there will be 5.8 billion low-value e-commerce parcels entering the EU, 97% of which come from a single country.
Related articles:
EU overhauls customs regulations, ending the era of cheap cross-border parcels