The EU has imposed a fine of €200 million on shopping platform, Temu, for selling what the European Commission says are “illegal items”.
The European Commission said it was “very likely” that shoppers would have come across products unfit for sale in the EU when browsing on Temu’s website and app.
The investigation looked at products sold on the site back in 2024. The European Commission employed a “mystery shopper” to work under cover and also carried out extra customs checks on Temu products being sent to consumers.
The European Commission said it found evidence of unsuitable chemicals in babies’ toys, choking hazards and dangerous jewelry. There were also a “very high” number of electrical chargers found to have a fire risk.
An estimated 45 million people in the EU access the shopping platform every month, according to the European Commission.
The popular Chinese site has its European headquarters is in Dublin.
The European Commission said investigation was not to identify individual dangerous products out of the millions of items sold on the site, but rather to ensure that Temu was itself equipped to identify, check and remove them.
“We want the online market platforms, who are offering products in the European Union, to have their systems in place to filter out illegal products so that European consumers are protected,” a senior EU official said.
A wider investigation into Temu risk assessment is still ongoing. The European Commission hinted that the company would be hit by a much larger fine, if found guilty there.
Under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Commission can impose fines of up to six percent of the company’s global turnover.
Today’s fine of €200 million is seen as small for such a large company, but it is the biggest that has so far been imposed under the DSA.
In a statement responding to the EU fine, Temu said:
“Temu respects the objectives of the Digital Services Act and the need for clear, consistent rules across the digital economy. However, we disagree with the European Commission’s decision and consider the fine to be disproportionate.
The decision relates to our first DSA assessment in 2024 and does not reflect the current state of our systems. Temu engaged constructively with the Commission throughout the process and has since taken further steps to strengthen risk assessment, platform governance, and user protection.
We will continue to engage with regulators in good faith and work toward a marketplace that serves consumers, businesses, and communities responsibly. We are reviewing the decision carefully and considering all available options.”
The company has three months to decide whether to appeal or to pay the fine.
“Under the DSA, designated Very Large Online Platforms are required to diligently assess systemic risks linked to their services and adopt corresponding mitigation measures. The fine issued today was calculated taking into account the nature of the infringement, its gravity in terms of affected EU users, and its duration,” the European Commission said.
Temu has until 28 August 2026 to submit an action plan to the EU to show how it is addressing the European Commission’s concerns.