Prominent online retailers to pull out “unsafe” products from Europe

The European Commission has been able to sign an agreement with four of the world’s foremost online retail platforms- Amazon, AliExpress, eBay and Rakuten, to dispose off goods which are identified as dangerous within 1 week of official notice. The companies will be implementing this process only in Europe, reports confirm.

For the record, the European Commission has a Rapid Alert System which notifies retailers about items deemed unsafe. The four retailers will have to pull any products mentioned in the official notification within two working days, as per the agreement. Although it is termed as a voluntary commitment, the European Commission can be expected to hold the threat of legal consequences over the companies, while publishing a six-monthly report to monitor the progress made on their commitments.

The agreement further requires the retailers to introduce a complaint system on their platforms where consumers can vent concerns about the safety of any product being sold on the websites. The companies promise to act within 5 days after such complaints are made, sources informed.

Another feature of the agreement includes measures to be taken by the companies to prevent reappearance of unsafe product listings and also to train sellers on ways to comply with EU product safety laws.

As per reports, the European Commission estimates that up to 20% products are bought through online retailers and this number will keep growing over time. The Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality in EU, V?ra Jourová commented on the new agreement saying consumers deserve to feel as safe from online buying as they are when purchasing from a brick-and-mortar store.

The EU already had laws stating that dangerous products should be pulled out, but no timeline existed. The latest agreement with major online retailers will be a good example and should encourage other online platforms to join the agreement, Jourová added further.