The fine is the latest development in the formal proceedings launched in 2024 regarding a possible violation of the EU Digital Services Act. The European Commission stated that AliExpress had failed to implement an effective system for identifying and removing illegal products and had underestimated the resources needed for content moderation.

According to the European Commission, the mechanisms for verifying product compliance could be easily circumvented, with unscrupulous sellers misclassifying products to avoid stricter requirements. European authorities also argue that the platform does not have enough staff to verify suspicious products.

At the same time, the European Commission found that a large number of illegal products, including unsafe toys and hazardous cosmetics, continued to be sold through AliExpress. In some cases, these products remained available on the platform for weeks after being reported. Furthermore, the Commission found that AliExpress had not properly enforced its own penalty policy and had allegedly allowed sellers of illegal products to remain active even after they had been penalized.

AliExpress now has until October 20 to submit an action plan outlining how it will address the issues raised by the European Commission. The Commission will then decide, within two months of receiving the plan, whether additional measures are necessary.

The sanction comes after the EU introduced a three-euro fee in early July for packages valued at up to 150 euros originating from outside the EU. The measure could significantly impact the business models of the Chinese e-commerce platforms AliExpress, Temu, and Shein.

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According to the general order issued by the City’s Climate Department, the measures are valid until August 1 and establish strict rules regarding the use of water resources. Agricultural and forestry lands, cemeteries and public interest green spaces are exempt from restrictions.

Also, it is prohibited to wash vehicles outside of commercial car washes, as well as using water from rivers, lakes or private wells for filling swimming pools, watering lawns or cleaning cars. Non-compliance with these provisions can lead to fines of up to 50 thousand euros, warn local authorities.

At the same time, the mayor of Munich, Dominik Krause, urged the population to voluntarily reduce water consumption, noting that drinking water resources are under unprecedented pressure. According to him, the forecasted rainfall in the upcoming period will not be sufficient to replenish the underground water reserves.

During the heatwave, the daily water consumption in Munich exceeded 400 million liters, compared to the usual level of 300-350 million liters per day. The authorities have stated that restrictions could be extended if the drought persists.

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The new standards target banks, financial institutions, companies, professionals, and other entities that fall under European anti-money laundering rules. Currently, the same violation can receive different responses depending on the member state or supervisory authority. AMLA states that the standards aim for the same violation, under the same circumstances, to lead to the same type of outcome in law enforcement across the entire European Union.

The report indicates that the supervisors will go through three stages. First, they will assess the severity of the violation based on a common list of indicators. Then, they will classify the violation into one of the four severity categories. Finally, they will establish the level of the fine or the appropriate administrative measure, using common criteria. At the same time, the supervisors will analyze whether the violation has facilitated a criminal activity, whether it has affected financial stability, the internal market, or the integrity of the financial system.

The indicators include the duration of the violation, the repetitive nature, the behavior of the person or entity responsible. The four categories are arranged according to severity, from absent or minor direct impact, short-term and non-repetitive, to more serious situations, including repeated violations, with significant impact, as well as linked to criminal activities or serious effects on the market and financial system.

At the same time, the report also introduces the methodology for periodic penalties, a new tool within the European framework. These penalties are not presented as sanctions, but as measures to compel an entity or person to comply with an already imposed administrative measure. They can be calculated daily, weekly or monthly and are only collected for the period of non-compliance.

The standards will be transmitted to the European Commission for adoption. After publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, the regulation applies directly to all member states from July 10, 2027, with the exception of football clubs and agents, for which the provisions are valid from July 10, 2029.

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According to the authors, the new rules will apply to criminal investigation bodies, prosecutors, courts, and other institutions authorized to investigate offenses or enforce judicial decisions. The document stipulates that authorities processing personal data must ensure their security. Also, institutions will be obliged to keep a record of operations performed on the data and designate responsible individuals to monitor compliance with protection rules. The contact details of these responsible individuals must be published on the official pages of the institutions.

The project grants citizens the right to find out if the authorities hold and use data concerning them. In the event of a positive response, the individual will be able to request access to this information and explanations regarding how they are processed.

However, authorities may refuse to provide certain information if its disclosure could affect an ongoing investigation or other legal procedures. Individuals who believe such a refusal is unjustified can notify the National Center for Personal Data Protection or can appeal to the court.

In the event of violations in accessing, consulting and processing personal data, the supervisory authority may apply fines of up to two million lei.

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The institution mentions that the irregularities were detected following the raids carried out in the village of Cosauti and in the city of Soroca. The inspectors found that the targeted individuals did not fulfill their legal obligations regarding the prevention of the spread of this invasive plant.

IPM reiterates that landowners and holders have the obligation to combat ragweed, an invasive plant that can cause severe allergies and affects the health of the population and the surrounding environment.

Authorities urge landowners to intervene in time to destroy the weed, so as to limit its spread during the flowering period.

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According to the Environmental Protection Inspectorate, the first case was detected in a protective forest strip in the “Beautiful Field” region, under the management of the local public administration of Rădeni. The inspectors found that a person had illegally cut down 20 trees, of which four were oaks and 16 were maples. Consequently, this person was fined 5 thousand lei and required to compensate for the damage caused to the environment, estimated at 5,800 lei.

The second case was detected in the territory of Negresti locality, on a private property. A villager was caught illegally cutting down 27 white acacia trees. The person was fined 4 thousand lei and obliged to pay a damage of 3 thousand lei for the harm caused to the environment.

The institution mentions that in both cases, the resulting wooden mass was lifted and transmitted for safekeeping to the Ghidighici Forestry Department.

The Environmental Protection Inspectorate states that illegal logging constitutes a serious violation of environmental legislation and can lead to administrative or criminal liability, depending on the severity of the actions. The authorities announce that control and combat actions against illegal deforestation will continue in the upcoming period.

This journalistic material was prepared by the IPN Press Agency, within the Small Grants Program for Media “Community Journalism for a Healthy Environment and Green Justice”, carried out within the project “Green Justice for a Protected Environment and Sustainable Communities in the Republic of Moldova”, implemented by EcoContact AO, with the support of Sweden. The content of this journalistic material is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of EcoContact or the donor.

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According to the verdict, the amount of 20,000 euros, recognized as corpus delicti, was returned to the injured party. The court partially admitted the civil action brought by the latter, ordering the collection from the defendant of the amount of 2,000 euros – the unreimbursed part of the total damage of 22,000 euros.

Until the final ruling of the sentence, the former deputy was subjected to the preventive measure of pre-trial detention. At the same time, he was deprived of the right to hold public office and positions of public dignity for a term of 5 years.

For the offenses of fraud and influence peddling, the court sentenced him, through partial cumulation of penalties, to 8 years in prison.

Regarding the offense of false statements, the court found him guilty, but released him from criminal punishment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. On the charge of illicit enrichment, Constantin Tutu was acquitted, the judges arguing that the act does not meet the constitutive elements of the offense.

According to the evidence presented by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, the defendant, while holding the position of deputy in Parliament, is alleged to have demanded through a third party the sum of 20,000 euros from the relatives of a detained man, promising that he would influence his release. Because the promised influence did not materialize, Țuțu would have agreed to return the money, but would have kept 2,000 euros as a “service fee” for influencing the prosecutors.

Subsequently, not knowing what solution the prosecutors from the Chisinau City Prosecutor’s Office would adopt, he allegedly demanded and repeatedly received another 20,000 euros. After the release of the detained person, their relatives found out that the accused had not actually exerted any influence over the prosecutors and requested the return of the money, a sum which was later fully refunded.

In another episode, the former deputy was accused that, during the period 2014-2019, he made expenses that exceeded the income obtained and that he provided false or incomplete data in the wealth declarations for the years 2017 and 2018. Although the prosecutors found a substantial difference between income and expenses – amounting to 3 and a half million lei, the court ordered the acquittal of the defendant on this charge as well.

The sentence can be appealed within 15 days.

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The non-banking lending organization “Cash&Go” received the largest fine – 82,500 lei. “U Capital” was penalized with 60,000 lei, while “Credit Auto” with 7,500 lei. According to the CNPF, the value of the fines was determined based on the number and severity of unfulfilled decisions.

Most of the unexecuted decisions required the three organizations to only request from consumers the repayment of the initial loan amount and to reimburse all additional payments collected – interest, commissions, fees, penalties – with the exception of the initial amount.

CNPF reiterates the mandatory and enforceable nature of its decisions.

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The violation was found in the forest fund managed by the Otaci Forestry Department. Checks have shown that trees were cut without legal documents and in violation of environmental protection standards.

The Environmental Protection Inspectorate specifies that two contravention reports have been drawn up for the committed acts. The damage caused to the environment was estimated at 2,080 lei.

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The inspections were carried out, together with the National Auto Transport Agency and the National Public Security Inspectorate. The tax inspectors checked both the occasional activity and the services provided through electronic race management platforms.

During the control actions, situations of carrying out activities without legal registration, non-issuance of fiscal receipts and non-declaration of earned income were observed. At the same time, in only 14 cases, out of the 39 checked, no violations of the current legislation were identified.

The State Tax Service encourages citizens to request a fiscal receipt for every journey and to report cases of illegal activity through the institution’s Hotline.

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