Digital Single Market Strategy – Pillar 1 (Communication)

The European Commission will harmonise the contractual rights of both parties in online purchasing EU wide. In addition, it will submit legislative proposals to prevent "unjustified geo-blocking". Geo-blocking is a technical measure used by online traders to restrict access to cross-border online purchasing by users in a specific geographical location.

cepPolicyBrief

In cep's view, harmonised contractual provisions for online businesses mean that online traders will have fewer national peculiarities to take into account when it comes to cross-border sales, and also that consumer confidence will increase. A ban on "unjustified geo-blocking" will result in EU-wide price alignment, in the extreme case, at the level of the most expensive country.