AK EUROPA has joined a coalition of nearly 90 organizations and associations representing consumers, civil society and industry in writing to Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné. The letter comes against the backdrop of a rapid growth of e-commerce, which has led to an unprecedented surge in direct imports from third countries. While national market surveillance and customs authorities face increasing volumes with limited resources, at the heart of the problem lies a fundamental accountability gap: In many cases there is no identifiable economic operator established within the EU who can be held responsible.

In light of the forthcoming European Product Act the signing organizations urge that for every product placed on the EU market a clearly identified economic operator must be established within the EU/EEA. Online platforms shall be recognised as the responsible economic operator whenever there is no other liable economic operator or where such an operator cannot be identified or traced. In addition to the responsibility of platforms, AK believes that a significant expansion of resources for regulatory authorities (including laboratories, experts, and technical offices) is necessary.