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The European Commission has imposed a €550 million fine on AliExpress, accusing the e-commerce platform of failing to take adequate measures to prevent the sale of illegal, unsafe and counterfeit products. The decision marks one of the European Union's most significant enforcement actions under the Digital Services Act (DSA) and forms part of a broader crackdown on Chinese online marketplaces.According to the Commission, AliExpress failed to implement an effective system to detect and remove illegal products from its platform. The investigation, launched in 2024, also found that the company had too few human moderators relative to the volume of products requiring oversight, while its compliance procedures could be easily circumvented by sellers.Brussels said some merchants were able to reclassify products to avoid stricter checks, allowing thousands of non-compliant items—including unsafe toys, hazardous cosmetics and counterfeit goods—to remain available on the platform. In several cases, products that had been reported stayed online for weeks before being removed.The Commission also criticized AliExpress' enforcement system, arguing that the platform failed to properly apply its own sanctions policy by allowing sellers that had already been penalized for violations to continue operating. Its brand verification system, designed to prevent counterfeit sales, was also deemed ineffective and insufficiently robust to stop abuse.The fine comes just days after the European Union introduced a fixed €3 duty on low-value parcels worth less than €150 imported from outside the bloc, a measure expected to have a significant impact on the business models of Chinese e-commerce platforms such as AliExpress, Shein and Temu.AliExpress now has until October 20, 2026, to submit an action plan outlining how it intends to address the Commission's concerns. The European Commission will then assess the plan within two months and decide whether further measures are necessary.The company rejected the allegations, saying it has invested substantial resources in risk assessment, product safety and consumer protection. In a statement, AliExpress described the €550 million fine as "disproportionate," arguing that it does not accurately reflect its established compliance framework or the significant proactive improvements it has implemented. The company added that it is carefully reviewing the decision and considering all available options.

Italy’s Chamber of Deputies is preparing to deny prosecutors access to WhatsApp conversations involving former Justice Undersecretary Andrea Delmastro Delle Vedove, a move that would effectively shield the senior Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia) politician in an investigation into the management of a Rome restaurant allegedly connected to organized crime.The decision follows months of exchanges between Parliament and the Rome Prosecutor’s Office, led by Francesco Lo Voi, over investigators’ request to seize communications between Delmastro and his former business associates.Forza Italia Rapporteur Recommends Rejecting Prosecutors’ RequestDuring a meeting on July 16, Forza Italia lawmaker Pietro Pittalis, acting as rapporteur for the parliamentary committee handling the case, formally recommended rejecting the prosecutors’ request.The proposal argues that the seizure request is procedurally flawed because it does not clearly specify the time period covered by the communications investigators wish to examine.Ironically, Parliament itself had previously asked prosecutors to clarify their original request, which referred broadly to correspondence between businessman Mauro Caroccia and MP Andrea Delmastro Delle Vedove.Although Delmastro is not formally under investigation, parliamentary authorization is required before prosecutors can use communications involving a sitting member of Parliament.The WhatsApp Group Considered Central to the InvestigationThe disputed evidence concerns a WhatsApp group allegedly used to manage the restaurant "Le 5 Forchette", a business once jointly owned by Delmastro, several members of Fratelli d’Italia from Piedmont, and Mauro and Miriam Caroccia.Investigators have already seized mobile phones and computers belonging to the Caroccia family and therefore possess the chat records.However, under Italian parliamentary immunity rules, prosecutors cannot use messages involving a member of Parliament without authorization from the Chamber.According to the Rome Prosecutor’s Office, those conversations are considered essential to reconstructing who actually controlled the restaurant’s operations.Investigators Suspect the Restaurant Was Used to Launder Camorra MoneyProsecutors believe Le 5 Forchette represents another restaurant business allegedly established by the Caroccia family to launder illicit funds connected to the Camorra clan led by Michele Senese.The Senese organization has already been linked to previous restaurant businesses through final criminal convictions.The Caroccia family, however, strongly disputes prosecutors’ reconstruction.Rather than acting as front figures for organized crime, they now claim they were merely nominal owners on behalf of Delmastro, arguing that the former undersecretary exercised real control over the company and received its profits.Former Partners Claim Delmastro Directed Every Major DecisionDocuments submitted to Parliament quote statements made during interrogations on April 1, 2026, in which both Mauroand Miriam Caroccia described the existence of a dedicated WhatsApp group used to coordinate the restaurant’s management.According to prosecutors, both suspects stated that:the "Piedmont partners" were the real financiers of the business;those partners effectively controlled the company's management;they were also the true beneficiaries of the restaurant's profits.The Caroccias further claimed that Andrea Delmastro personally participated in the management chat, a version reportedly corroborated by Barbara Tritoni, wife of Mauro Caroccia and mother of Miriam.Investigators therefore view the messages as potentially capable of identifying who actually made business decisions inside the company.Blocking the Chat Could Undermine the Caroccias’ DefenseIf Parliament refuses authorization, prosecutors will be unable to use the WhatsApp exchanges as evidence.According to the article, this would also significantly weaken the defense strategy adopted by the Caroccia family.Without the chat records, they would find it much harder to support their claim that Delmastro—not they—was effectively directing the restaurant's activities and receiving its financial benefits.Restaurant Remains Open Despite Political ScandalDespite the controversy that led to Delmastro's resignation as Justice Undersecretary, the restaurant—also known as "Bisteccheria d’Italia", located on Rome’s Via Tuscolana—remains open.Unlike several previous restaurants connected to the Caroccia family, which were confiscated by authorities, this business continues to operate.Ownership now belongs entirely to 20-year-old Miriam Caroccia, who acquired the shares previously held by Delmastro and the other Fratelli d’Italia members.On June 23, she convened an extraordinary shareholders' meeting before a Rome notary to amend the company's bylaws and transfer its registered headquarters from Biella to Rome, matching the restaurant's operating address.The previous registration in Biella had remained in place after Delmastro and the other Fratelli d’Italia shareholders exited the company, a circumstance that, according to the article, investigators consider consistent with the hypothesis that the business had originally been managed from Piedmont.