The EU has imposed a fine on the Chinese online marketplace AliExpress for selling illegal goods. As reported by the European Commission, the fine amounts to 550 million euros, particularly because counterfeit clothing, dangerous toys, and harmful cosmetics were not removed from the platform for weeks, in violation of the law.
The company, which is part of the Alibaba group, according to the regulator, did not make sufficient efforts to protect consumers in the EU from such products. In the opinion of the European Commission, sellers who were supposed to be punished by AliExpress for selling illegal goods partially avoided responsibility and often continued their activities.
Violations of moderation and advertising rules
AliExpress is also accused of having insufficient staff to check potentially illegal goods. According to the European Commission, controllers have too heavy a workload, and illegal products were even recommended or advertised before the platform removed them. Tests by Brussels’ internet regulators confirmed that despite monitoring efforts, a large number of counterfeit t-shirts, shoes, and dangerous children’s toys were circulating on the marketplace.
AliExpress expressed disagreement with the decision: “We disagree with today’s decision and the disproportionate fine.” The company claims that the sanction does not reflect the significant proactive improvements that have been implemented and added that they are currently carefully studying the decision and considering all available options.
EU requirements and the Digital Services Act
Back in 2025, AliExpress was making concessions, planning to strengthen the fight against illegal drugs and food supplements. At that time, the European Commission accepted these commitments but did not consider all critical remarks to be addressed. Now the company has until October 20 to submit an action plan to Brussels to rectify the situation.
If the European Commission approves the proposed measures, a deadline will be set for their implementation. In case of insufficient cooperation, the EU may introduce daily fines. The proceedings are conducted in accordance with the Digital Services Act (DSA), which has been in effect since February 2024 and provides for fines of up to 6% of the annual global turnover of the entire group, which in this case is Alibaba.
The fine for AliExpress is the highest since the DSA came into effect, but it is significantly lower than the maximum possible amount of over seven billion euros. According to the European Commission, the annual turnover of the Alibaba group, which was taken into account, was around 120 billion euros.
Source: Der Spiegel
