Benelux, Economy, Safety

Benelux strengthens European cooperation on supervision of e-commerce

01 Jun. 2026

The Benelux countries aim to enhance contacts with online payment services such as PayPal and iDEAL in order to detect fraudulent webshops more easily. Consumers are increasingly purchasing food products and other goods online, but supervisory authorities lack sufficient resources to efficiently identify rogue sellers. At the end of May, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg presented joint proposals to other European countries to strengthen cooperation between inspection services and payment service providers.

According to the Benelux, payment services hold crucial information about sellers and transactions, to which supervisory authorities currently have only limited access. As a result, many fraudulent webshops still escape detection, particularly due to anonymous sellers, foreign-based structures and limited investigative capacity.

“Online payment services have information that can play a key role in the fight against fraudulent webshops,” says Tom Köller. “Improved cooperation can help supervisory authorities act more quickly and better protect consumers.”

The Benelux proposes, among other measures, to enable faster data sharing on suspicious sellers under strict conditions, the reporting of suspicious transactions, and the use of anonymous test purchases—so-called mystery shopping.

In addition, the three countries advocate the creation of a European contact point for payment services, the establishment of a shared blacklist of fraudulent sellers, and clearer procedures for cooperation between supervisory authorities and payment service providers.

PayPal also took part in expert meetings on potential cooperation in combating fraud and protecting consumers.

These proposals are the result of a Benelux expert process on food safety and e-commerce, coordinated by the Benelux Secretariat-General and Luxembourg. They were discussed during a European meeting of food safety authorities on 27 and 28 May in Luxembourg.

According to the Benelux, these proposals should contribute to faster action against fraudulent webshops and improved consumer protection within the European single market.