During a government press conference earlier in the day, Minister for Small Businesses Serge Papin said officials were working on “coordination between investigators and online platforms” to identify the individuals behind suspicious listings. A specific protocol is expected to be put in place, according to a government source speaking to POLITICO.
A spokesperson for Vinted France said the sale of stolen goods, or soliciting the purchase of such goods, is strictly prohibited on the platform. “We have a zero-tolerance policy on this matter,” said the company representative. “Since this past weekend, our teams have taken immediate action to identify and remove listings that may involve stolen goods, and we have stepped up our monitoring of suspicious listings.”
Other platforms weren’t immediately available for comment.
The discussions with the reselling websites are also likely to touch on longer-term questions around platform responsibility and the monitoring of illicit trade within the EU’s digital marketplace.
The issue of looted goods sold on online marketplaces “is a new dimension and the Commission is happy to look at it in collaboration with French authorities,” European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told POLITICO.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has instructed local authorities to enact “partial curfews” Monday evening to prevent further looting and rioting. Papin said a “special support fund” will be set up to provide financial assistance to the estimated 3,000 local businesses affected by the weekend’s unrest.
Eliza Gkritsi contributed to this report.
