French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Thursday urged the European Commission to sanction online fast-fashion retailer Shein, which he said was in breach of the bloc's rules.
"I believe that the platform is clearly in breach of the European rules that we adopted in 2022 at France's instigation. I believe that the European Commission must take action. It cannot wait any longer," Barrot said in an interview with Franceinfo radio station.
China's Shein on Wednesday opened its first-ever permanent shop in the BHV department store in central Paris, but French Finance Minister Roland Lescure threatened a countrywide ban of the brand after a consumer watchdog spotted child-like sex dolls sold on its marketplace, Reuters reported.
Shein said it sanctioned the sellers of the dolls, implemented a worldwide ban on sex dolls on its site, and independently decided to temporarily suspend its marketplace in France to "review and strengthen" how third-party sellers operate on the site.