Chinese Retailer Temu Slammed by European Consumer Groups

Temu, the discount retailing app owned by Chinese e-commerce giant PDD Holdings, is facing consumer complaints that its business practices violate a new online content law in Europe.

The European Union’s Digital Services Directive requires online marketplaces and intermediaries to fight illegal and harmful content and counterfeit products on their platforms. Pan-European consumer organisation BEUC said it had lodged a complaint with the European Commission, while 17 of its members in countries including France, Italy and the Netherlands have also lodged complaints with their respective national authorities.

“Temu is being complacent here because it is breaching the EU’s Digital Services Act,” BEUC Director General Monique Goyens said in a statement.

Temu, which entered the EU market just over a year ago, said it actively adapts its service to local practices and preferences and is committed to full compliance with the laws and regulations of the markets in which it operates.

“Regarding the BEUC complaint, we take it very seriously and will study it thoroughly. We hope to continue our dialogue with the relevant stakeholders to improve Temu’s service for consumers,” the company said in a statement.