Alia Papageorgiou, European Affairs Editor for the weekly newspaper www.neurope.eu as well as editor of a column at runninginheels.co.uk tells us why the campaign for Consumer Choice is important, and provides insight into the inner-workings of European policies.
It’s hard not to notice when you get off the Metro at Schuman, Brussels’ main underground stop. And it’s equally impossible to pass by the foot of the European Commission’s building, the Berlaymont, without pausing.
No matter which Metro exit you take, all you see in front of you are huge posters showing a pile of petitions, the eBay logo, an EU flag, and the number ‘750,000’.
So what’s this all about? What’s the background to eBay’s Consumer Choice campaign?
At the moment, outdated European law gives companies permission to stop people selling legitimate products online, regardless of whether the goods are new or second-hand. What the campaign is trying to do is help EU institutions bring this law up-to-date and assist in one of its ultimate goals: “no barriers to trade.”
The European Commission has a number of regulatory instruments at its disposal, but one used most often is a ‘Regulation’. Regulations usually have a re-appraisal or review date attached to them so that every few years EU officials must go back and review what was set out originally and ensure it is still relevant and up to date with current market and legal issues.
It’s a chance to iron out the kinks, make sure that the regulations imposed are still applicable today and will still be applicable in the future.
The current rules that apply to online retailing (called ‘vertical agreements’) were set out by a European Commission Regulation 10 years ago. This means the regulation pre-exists the rise of the web and of buying and selling goods on the internet.
As a result, they let brands and manufacturers block the sale of products online; limiting the range of choice and value available to consumers.
This is something the Commission has already recognized and commented on:
“Two major developments have marked the 10 year period following the adoption of the current rules: an increase in large distributors’ market power and the evolution of sales on the Internet”.
Not only that, but bringing the current regulation in line with the internet-age is a clear objective for the Commission.
As Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, recently commented: “Achieving a Digital Single Market is a top priority for Europe.” She added:
“We won’t have a real Digital Economy until we remove all barriers to online transactions, also for end-consumers. This must be on top of the list of all policy initiatives to re-launch the single market project.”
It’s great news that the Commission recognises the importance of the internet as a tool for cross-border trade that can improve consumers’ access to goods. However, what the Commission really needs to hear now is more voices; more online buyers and sellers like you and I. When we decide to buy a book or a pair of popular brand boots for winter, ‘at the click of a button’, we want to do so without restrictions limiting our choice.
It’s not too late to make your voice heard. Share your experiences of buying and selling online – both good and bad – with us and remind the EU Commission why the internet is a powerful tool offering consumers the best deal wherever they live in Europe.
Photo courtesy of A. Papageorgiou
