- The Commission’s proposal for a Digital Services Act (DSA) is a first step towards a more robust framework for online marketplaces, according to TIE.
- The future rules for online marketplaces need to go much further in closing the loopholes that allow online marketplaces to give third party sellers unfettered access to EU consumers
- It is essential that the European Parliament and Council now build on the Commission’s proposal and make marketplaces responsible for the safety of toys they are enabling to be sold in the EU.
Toy Industries of Europe (TIE) welcomes the Commission’s proposal for a Digital Services Act as a first step towards a safer online shopping experience for EU consumers.
It’s great that the proposal aims to strengthen seller identification requirements and seeks to harmonise notice and takedown procedures. This will make it easier to react once dangerous products are discovered.
Unfortunately, the proposal doesn’t go far enough in stopping unsafe goods being sold in the first place. Nor does it address the problem of dangerous products that have been taken down re-appearing in identical listings from other sellers or on other platforms.
TIE’s report into the sale of toys via online marketplaces showed just how easy it is for dangerous toys to reach consumers via marketplaces. A massive 97% of the toys we bought did not comply with EU toy safety rules. This highlights that reactive measures alone are not enough to protect children’s safety.
The DSA is a unique opportunity to introduce futureproof measures that give marketplaces responsibilities to stop dangerous products from entering the EU via their platforms. Such measures are vital when it comes to protecting children from unsafe toys.
As the proposal moves to the next stage of the decision making process, we urge Members of the European Parliament and national governments to make sure that the DSA truly strengthens the protection of children’s safety.
Quote, Catherine Van Reeth, Director General
TIE is glad the Commission agrees that a toy bought online should be as safe as one bought in a bricks and mortar shop. The DSA proposal is a first step towards achieving this, but sadly doesn’t go far enough. Marketplaces must be given more responsibilities to prevent third-party sellers from using their platforms to sell dangerous toys to EU consumers. We urge the European Council and Parliament to now build on the proposal to create a truly modern rule book for the online space. Marketplaces – who benefit from the sales they facilitate – must take on some responsibility in protecting children from dangerous toys entering the EU.
