European retailers call for stronger EU & national enforcement against unfair competition from third countries
Press release - Competitiveness & Single Market
23 October 2025
Brussels - EuroCommerce, the voice of European retail and wholesale, has today unveiled a set of legal recommendations aimed at reinforcing the enforcement of EU rules to ensure fair competition across the Single Market. The initiative comes amid growing concerns over the acceleration of individual parcels entering the EU, the huge impact of non-compliant third-country traders and marketplaces on consumer safety and the competitiveness of European retail.
Christel Delberghe, Director General of EuroCommerce, stated:
“Today, EuroCommerce launched its legal recommendations to support a level playing field in European retail. This is a must-read for EU policymakers, as our sector is tremendously suffering from unfair competition from third-country traders and marketplaces. This also jeopardises consumers' safety and undermines the competitiveness of European retailers.”
The recommendations build on EuroCommerce’s ongoing campaign, #Compliance4All, launched in October 2024. The campaign calls for enhanced enforcement of existing rules and better coordination among competent authorities at EU and national levels, as well as across enforcement domains, such as product law, consumer protection, environmental laws, digital laws, data protection, taxation, customs duties, etc.
The newly published paper outlines concrete legislative proposals to contribute to effective and efficient enforcement of EU rules across all market participants, regardless of their place of establishment.
EuroCommerce further emphasises the importance of strengthening the enforcement of consumer protection rules via the upcoming Consumer Protection Cooperation review. Alongside BEUC and BusinessEurope, EuroCommerce called for a swift review. While the review was notably absent from the European Commission’s 2026 Work Programme presented this week, EuroCommerce expects the Commission will proceed with the review in line with business and consumers' expectations.
Delberghe added:
“EU policymakers must ask themselves what they want the European retail sector to look like by 2030. Without decisive action, the majority of European consumers will be buying their products online from operators with little regard for safety or sustainability. Unfair competition also threatens physical retail stores and the vitality of our towns and cities. We urge policymakers to take our recommendations to heart and act now!”
EuroCommerce’s full legal recommendations paper and its contribution to the EU Customs Reform trialogue negotiations are available online.