The European Parliament is preparing to vote on a resolution calling for stronger enforcement against non-EU operators whose products enter the single market without meeting EU safety, environmental, labour or traceability standards.
MEPs are preparing to demand stronger EU action to protect companies, jobs and consumers from unfair competition by non-EU operators, with a vote scheduled in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
The draft resolution on the protection of EU companies, jobs and products is part of this week’s plenary agenda. It is expected to focus on the growth of non-EU e-commerce in the single market, the rise in products that fail to meet EU standards, and the pressure placed on European businesses that must comply with stricter regulatory requirements.
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The issue is not confined to trade policy. It cuts across consumer safety, customs enforcement, digital platforms, market surveillance, industrial competitiveness and the administrative burden on small and medium-sized enterprises. The central question is whether the EU can enforce its own rules consistently against foreign sellers while avoiding additional compliance costs for companies already operating within the European regulatory framework.
The draft text warns that unfair competition can arise from dumping, trade-distorting subsidies, structural overcapacity, regulatory asymmetries, misleading commercial practices and the circumvention of health and safety standards. It argues that such practices can undermine EU producers, distort the internal market and expose consumers to unsafe or non-compliant goods.
A major focus is the rapid expansion of online sales from outside the EU. The text states that some non-EU platforms have grown quickly in the European market by offering very low-priced goods, while significant volumes of products entering through e-commerce channels fail to comply with EU safety, environmental or chemical standards. This, it says, creates risks for consumers and economic harm for compliant EU businesses.
The resolution calls for clearer rules on product origin, traceability and the identification of responsible economic operators. It also seeks stricter enforcement of CE marking requirements and clearer application of the definitions of “manufacturer” and “importer”. The aim is to ensure that goods sold to EU consumers can be traced to an accountable economic operator, including when the original seller is based outside the Union.
The proposal also supports stronger consumer-redress mechanisms. That would include easier access to refunds, replacements or remedies when consumers buy unsafe or non-compliant goods from non-EU sellers. The draft calls for an EU online complaint interface in all EU languages, intended to allow citizens to act quickly when their rights are breached.
Customs enforcement is another central part of the file. The text points to the sharp rise in low-value e-commerce imports, including goods facilitated by exemptions for parcels valued below €150. It says this has placed pressure on customs and market-surveillance authorities and limited their ability to enforce EU rules effectively. The resolution supports the removal of low-value exemptions and calls for customs reform to focus resources on high-risk consignments and repeated violators.
The Parliament briefing also indicates that MEPs are expected to ask the Commission to make fuller use of EU trade-defence instruments, including anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures, while simplifying regulatory requirements for EU businesses. That combination reflects a recurring concern in Brussels: enforcement against unfair imports should not become another source of paperwork for European firms that already comply with EU law.
The draft resolution refers specifically to state subsidies and industrial overcapacity in China in sectors such as steel, electronics and solar panels. It also notes concerns about clean-technology exports, including solar photovoltaics, battery cells and electric vehicles. The reference is significant because these sectors sit at the intersection of the EU’s green transition, industrial policy and economic-security agenda.
For EU companies, the concern is that compliance with safety, labour, environmental and product rules increases costs, while foreign competitors may enter the market through channels where enforcement is weaker. For consumers, the concern is different: whether goods bought online meet the standards required for products sold within the Union. The two issues are linked because weak enforcement can create both unfair price competition and avoidable safety risks.
The resolution also calls for better coordination and more resources for customs and market-surveillance authorities. It suggests targeted controls for high-risk product categories, investment in new enforcement tools, enhanced testing capacity and training for staff. These are practical questions rather than purely political ones. Without sufficient inspection capacity, traceability data and platform co-operation, stricter legal requirements may have limited effect.
Online marketplaces are also addressed in the draft. The text supports the concept of a “deemed importer”, under which platforms or other responsible operators could be required to ensure that products entering the EU comply with Union rules, even when the original exporter is outside the bloc. It also calls for platforms to verify seller identity, provide compliance information and remove non-compliant or falsely labelled products without delay.
The vote will not in itself create new binding law. The file is a topical resolution, but it can increase political pressure on the Commission and member states to accelerate enforcement, customs reform and digital-market supervision. It also gives Parliament a way to link e-commerce enforcement with broader debates over competitiveness, regulatory burden and trade defence.
