EU Commission fines AliExpress: violated the DSA and will have to pay 550 million euros

AliExpress is experiencing significant growth in Europe, aided by a particularly aggressive marketing strategy. However, this growth now faces challenges from the European Commission, which has fined AliExpress 550 million euros due to a violation of the obligations set forth by the Digital Services Act regarding the assessment and mitigation of risks associated with the sale of illegal, dangerous, or counterfeit products on its e-commerce platform.

This measure could now curb AliExpress's growth in Europe, following the progress made in recent months, also supported by the launch of the Local+ program that directly involved Italian companies.

Unmet Obligations

AliExpress has, in fact, failed to comply with the obligation to "diligently" assess the risk of the spread of illegal, dangerous, and counterfeit products through its platform. The Commission conducted tests that confirmed violations of the DSA regulations. According to the statement, AliExpress had also "overestimated the effectiveness of its system in identifying and removing illegal products."

The identified shortcomings are varied, from the incorrect functioning of the product detection system to the failure to impose sanctions on sellers involved in the distribution of these products. Moreover, compliance checks could easily be circumvented.

AliExpress has until October 20, 2026, to present an action plan to the European Commission. The European Digital Services Committee (EBS) will have one month from the receipt of the plan to express its opinion, and then the Commission will have an additional month to make a final decision.