Overview
- The European Commission on Thursday fined the Chinese marketplace Temu €200 million after an investigation found the platform failed to meet obligations under the Digital Services Act.
- Brussels based its decision on test purchases and customs data that showed a very high share of chargers failing basic safety tests and many baby toys containing banned chemicals or posing choking hazards.
- The Commission found Temu’s 2024 platform risk assessment inadequate because it relied on general industry information instead of evidence about its own listings and did not study how recommendation algorithms and influencer promotions could spread illegal items.
- Temu called the penalty disproportionate and said it has since improved systems, but the company must submit a corrective plan by the end of August 2026 or face additional daily fines while Brussels continues separate probes into data access and other marketplaces.
- The ruling is the second public enforcement under the DSA, highlights limits of existing safety controls as millions of low‑value parcels arrive from China, and comes as the EU prepares new import charges and tighter customs checks to curb dangerous goods.