Cologne, April 20, 2025
A new movement is demanding digital and economic sovereignty – but without structural change, consumption will remain dependent. A German startup is now taking a different path.
Changing platforms, origins remain: A shifted problem?
According to EU customs statistics, over 4.6 billion duty-free small consignments were imported into the European Union in 2024 – around 90% of them from China. Platforms such as Temu, Shein, and Alibaba dominate consumer shopping habits and increasingly displace local suppliers from visibility.
The political reflex to Trump's tariffs may be to call for "European alternatives" - but many of these initiatives remain superficial: platforms with European origins, but with the same product range, the same supply chains and the same tax outsourcing, as perfected by non-European corporations.
Digital sovereignty without economic independence falls short. Changing only the logo but not the supply chain is shifting a geopolitical problem—but not solving it.
Consumption as a lever for economic resilience
Europe's reliance on China for medical equipment became apparent during the pandemic, at the very latest. The 2021 Suez Canal incident also revealed the fragility of global supply chains. Instead of counteracting this, the trend is toward even cheaper, faster—and even more remote production.
A Cologne-based startup wants to change that: Youro is the first platform to exclusively list products manufactured within the European Union—including the production location, material origin, and brand profiles. The focus is on transparency of origin and regional value creation.
“We have not only created a community of values with the European Union, but have also secured the local infrastructure to ensure responsible production – but we systematically import bypasses this,” says founder Michelle Kujawa.
Buy European: From movement to infrastructure
The approach goes beyond the “Buy European” movement initiated by the Trump tariffs.
Europe doesn't lack ideas—it lacks the economic structures to implement them sustainably. This is where the startup comes in—not as a reaction to global developments, but as a constructive countermovement to chronic dependence in production and trade.
The platform aims to create an environment in which European manufacturers can not only exist but also compete – through pooled visibility, shared shipping structures, and digital reach. Building an infrastructure base for locally manufactured products is not a secondary goal, but a prerequisite for true freedom of action.
"The demand for digital sovereignty is justified – but without economic sovereignty, it remains ineffective. It's about production capacities, know-how, and regional value creation that we have been losing in Europe for decades. With this, we are setting the course for our future – or we are letting others set it," says co-founder Hendrik Iserlohe.
From local engagement to the European movement
What begins as a platform aims for more: Youro positions itself as part of a larger movement that not only demands economic resilience but also implements it concretely – through digital visibility for local production, fair prices for manufacturers and true freedom of choice for consumers.
Because structural independence does not begin with trade tariffs – but with the decision as to who we give influence to with our money.
About Youro
Youro GmbH was founded in Cologne in 2024. The startup operates the first curated marketplace for products 'Made in the EU'. Founder Michelle Kujawa and co-founder Hendrik Iserlohe pursue the goal of combining economic sovereignty, fair production, and European visibility online – thus setting a new standard in e-commerce.
Press contact:
Contact person: Michelle Kujawa
Email address: presse@youro.shop
To the website: www.youro.shop
To the press kit: https://youro.shop/pages/presse