ESEE Warns of E-Commerce Imbalance

The President of the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (ESEE), Stavros Kafounis, highlighted growing concerns over unfair competition from Asian e-commerce giants TEMU and SHEIN during a press conference on Wednesday, CE Report quotes Athens-Macedonia

Updated figures from the Confederation reveal that in 2023–2024, Greece ranked among the top markets for these platforms. TEMU and SHEIN are estimated to control up to 20.9% of the country’s €3 billion e-commerce market, with turnover estimates ranging from €529 million to €627 million.

Kafounis stressed the need for additional measures to level the playing field between local businesses and third-country e-commerce platforms.

Across the EU, micro-parcels from non-EU countries hit 4.6 billion in 2024—91% from China—and are projected to reach 6 billion by 2025. Both TEMU and SHEIN have drawn EU scrutiny and are classified as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), requiring compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA).