⚖️📦 France escalates legal action against Shein amid e-commerce regulation efforts

Oneliner

France is escalating its legal action against Shein, appealing a court ruling that rejected a suspension of the ultra-fast-fashion platform. Commerce Minister Serge Papin is advocating for new legislation to strengthen import controls and allow the government to block online platforms without judicial approval. A €2 tax on small parcels will be introduced from 1 March, with an additional EU customs duty starting in July. Papin emphasizes the need for fair competition between online and physical retailers as the government declares 2026 the "Year of Resistance" against unfair e-commerce practices.

Key points

• The French government is appealing a court decision to suspend Shein's operations in France.
• New legislation aims to strengthen import controls and allow administrative blocking of online platforms.
• A €2 tax on small parcels will be implemented from 1 March, with an additional EU customs duty starting in July.
• Trade Minister Serge Papin emphasizes the need for fair competition between online and physical retailers.

Links

• BFMTV: "Un combat sur un ring": l'Etat français repart à l'assaut de Shein devant la cour d'appel de Paris
• BFMTV: "Comme dirait Jean-Pierre Papin, je suis sur le ballon": Serge Papin, l'ancien patron de Super U devenu...
• BFMTV: "La non-conformité est systémique": Serge Papin veut pouvoir suspendre Shein sans passer par la justice
• Handelsblatt: Onlinehandel: Frankreichs Regierung ruft zum Widerstand gegen Shein auf

Facts

• The appeal against Shein is being heard by the Paris Court of Appeal.
• A €2 tax on small parcels will take effect on 1 March 2026.
• An additional EU customs duty of €3 will be implemented in July 2026.
• The government is backing a bill to allow the suspension of online platforms without court intervention.

Quotes

• We must protect ourselves, because there is unfair competition — Serge Papin
• Shein's non-compliance is systemic — Serge Papin
• We have good arguments... our case is solid — Serge Papin

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