The British Labour MEP for London, Mary Honeyball, has written a blog post on the political website LabourList about our Campaign for Consumer Choice launch event at which she spoke. You can read her full article here.
In her post Mary sets out three clear arguments why policy-makers must amend current EU trading laws and why she supports our campaign.
Firstly, Mary argues that the internet allows consumers to purchase goods at a fair price which is especially important during tough economic times. She highlights the fact that the campaign isn’t just about companies protecting luxury or premium brands, it’s about stopping consumers making savings on everyday products.
Mary writes:
“High prices harm everyone. This is not just about expensive handbags and luxury products – it is about things bought by millions of consumers all over Europe. It’s also about new goods, not just second-hand – parents getting sporting goods, shoes, school bags and other equipment for their children and general consumers buying cycling helmets, ski equipment, mp3 players, computers and household appliances like washing machines.”
The second argument for amending EU trading laws is quite simply that they’re out-of-date! The current regulations were drawn up 10 years ago when the idea of buying and selling goods in a global online marketplace was but a twinkle in the internet’s eye.
Mary observes that “The internet redistributes power to the consumer in ways we could not have envisaged only a few years ago. The presentation of this unprecedented petition should be a wake up call to the Commission to think again about its review of these regulations.”
And last – but by no means least – removing restrictions on buying and selling goods online is good for the economy. Many businesses, that make money through online trading, are small to medium sized enterprises and the mainstay of most European countries.
Perhaps more significantly, the ability to run a small business by buying and selling goods online also allows people to run successful business from home while having the flexibility to spend more time with their families.
Mary ends by issuing a rallying call to consumers across Europe:
“The way things stand at present just makes everyone poorer. It hurts consumers. It costs jobs and damages businesses … The manufacturers and traditional retailers will be lobbying the Commission hard to protect themselves from having to compete with on fair basis with internet businesses. Those of us who want a fair deal for consumers must do the same.”
You can watch a video of her full speech at the EU Parliament on Mary’s YouTube page and read her full post over at LabourList.
