The European Commission has requested Chinese online platform Shein to provide information on the sale of illegal products under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), it said in a statement today.
The request was made after illegal products were found on sale in France.
"The Commission suspects that Shein's system may pose a systemic risk for consumers across the entire European Union," the statement said.
Shein must now provide the Commission with comprehensive details and internal documentation on the measures it takes to protect minors from age-inappropriate content and on the steps it takes to prevent illegal products from circulating on its platform.
"We share the Commission's goal of ensuring that consumers in the EU can shop online with peace of mind, we have received the request for information and we are working to promptly address it," Shein said in a statement.
"We maintain an ongoing and constructive dialogue with EU regulators.
"We have met with our counterparts in recent days to brief them on the steps we have taken to protect European consumers to update them on our continued efforts to ensure compliance with our obligations as a VLOP under the DSA, and to exchange views on shared industry-wide challenges and potential solutions for strengthening the governance of online marketplaces."
Europe's DSA requires large online consumer marketplaces to undertake due diligence on products being sold on their platforms and to remove or block access if they become aware of illegal content.
The French government has asked for Shein to be suspended in France for three months over sales of childlike sex dolls and banned weapons. The hearing will take place on December 5.
The company disabled its marketplace - where third-party sellers offer their products to shoppers around the world - in France from November 5.
