BRUSSELS — The European Commission announced on Monday that it had imposed a record fine of €550 million on the Chinese online marketplace AliExpress for violations of the Digital Services Act.
Investigations revealed that the platform had failed to remove listings of counterfeit goods and other illegal products, including fake pharmaceuticals and prohibited weapons. The commission said the breaches amounted to a systematic failure to comply with the new digital marketplace rules.
The penalty is the largest ever imposed under the Digital Services Act framework, according to reports from other news platforms. It follows a broader EU push to enforce compliance by large cross‑border e‑commerce operators.
AliExpress has not yet issued a public statement about the sanction. Reporters around the world note that the company will likely need to enhance its monitoring and removal procedures to avoid future infractions.
The commission will monitor the seller’s remedial actions over the coming months, with the possibility of additional sanctions if the company fails to address the identified shortcomings. The decision signals a tightening of regulatory oversight for digital marketplaces operating within the European single market.
