Shein and Temu also in the spotlight in Spain. Just over a week ago, France made official the imposition of a 2 euro tax on low-value packages. This measure will affect shipments of packages under 150 euros from non-EU countries and had three key protagonists: Aliexpress, Temu, and Shein. Now, it is Spanish retailers who are calling for the country to mobilize against the practices of the Asian giants.
The Spanish Confederation of Commerce (CEC), an organization representing more than half a million establishments in Spain, has called on the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to put an end to the practices carried out by Shein and Temu. Rafael Torres, the organization's president, has expressed his disagreement with the government's leniency: "we must strengthen surveillance and tighten control. It cannot be that European companies are required to comply with regulations and then there is a free pass for those who come from abroad," the president explained on elEconosmista.es.
The organization raises its voice during one of the most aggressive periods for Temu and Shein: Black Friday. Torres assures that these companies use fake offers as bait to attract more consumers unfairly. From the CEC, they urge the Spanish Government to resolutely apply the European Digital Services Act to combat counterfeiting on online platforms. For his part, the general director of Andema, the Association for Brand Defense, has confessed to ElEconosmita.es, that it enables the National Commission of Markets and Competition to issue warnings to these platforms to remove illicit content.