PARIS, Nov 6 — France has increased pressure on the European Union (EU) to launch a formal investigation into Chinese online fast-fashion retailer Shein over the sale of child-like sex dolls and banned weapons on its marketplace.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Shein was "clearly" in breach of European rules.
"I believe that the European Commission must take action. It cannot wait any longer," he said in an interview with Franceinfo radio station.
Paris has moved to ban Shein over the illicit products, and Shein suspended its marketplace in the country to "review and strengthen" how third-party sellers operate on it, having already halted the sale of sex dolls worldwide.
"France alerts the European Commission and all member states to these serious breaches within its borders, and expects there are similar risks associated with this platform's activities in other European Union countries," said its Finance Minister Roland Lescure and Digital Minister Anne le Hénanff in a letter to EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen.
The country called on the European Commission to conduct investigations "without delay" to find out what led to the sale of illegal objects on the platform, according to the letter, which was sent late on Wednesday and shared with journalists on Thursday.
A European Commission spokesperson confirmed the letter was received and said the body will assess and decide on next steps.
Shein is classified as a 'Very Large Online Platform' under the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA), and the Commission has powers to investigate platforms for potential breaches of that law.
The Commission can impose fines of up to six per cent of a company's global annual turnover for confirmed breaches of the DSA.
Earlier this year, it asked Shein to provide internal documents and information on risks linked to illegal goods and content on its marketplace.
Separately on Tuesday, the Paris Prosecutor said that France is investigating other online platforms, Temu, AliExpress and Wish, as well as Shein, for alleged rule breaches that include minors being able to access pornographic content via their marketplaces.
