The European Union (EU) has announced that it will launch an investigation to determine whether e-commerce companies such as Amazon and Netflix have implemented illegal policies that violate EU antitrust laws. Specifically, it will investigate whether these e-commerce giants have hindered the free movement of goods in Europe, restricting consumers and sellers from buying and selling goods and services in other European countries.
The European Commission has argued that consumers should be completely free to buy products online in other EU markets if they so wish, and therefore all obstacles to e-commerce in the EU should be removed. Data confirm that half of European consumers made online purchases in 2014, but only 15% did so in a country outside the European Union. This shows that "there are very significant barriers that prevent consumers from accessing different websites depending on their place of residence, type of payment card, etc.," says Margrethe Vestager, head of the EU antitrust commission.
As for the role of vendors , Vestager has said that all players, large and small, must compete on equal terms , something that the large European companies in the sector have been demanding for some time, as they feel that they are at a disadvantage compared to large American companies because they are not subject to the same rules. Similarly, efforts will be made to improve legislation on contracts for goods, rights over digital content and on distribution contracts.
If the results of this investigation reveal competition problems, Vestager says the European Commission will be able to sanction companies that abuse their dominant position in the online market and take appropriate measures to ensure compliance with European laws .
The investigation is part of a broader EU strategy to create a single piece of legislation to address all the obstacles that arise from the disparate laws that exist between member states regarding digital services. For Vestager, "it makes no sense to have 28 different regulations alongside their 28 regulatory bodies." The main advantage of all this is to obtain a level digital market throughout the EU, which would also translate into revenues of approximately 340 billion euros for the gross domestic product of the European Union - something difficult to achieve, since there are many barriers to be overcome from countries and companies.
