Sign in / up

back to article Eurocrats declare war on e-commerce cross barrier red tape

A new European Commission report has blamed persistent barriers to cross border trade for hindering the nascent e-commerce industry. The ‘Barriers to E-commerce in the EU’ report found that online shopping was increasingly popular among consumers in the 27-bloc member states, but it warned that barriers to cross border trade …

COMMENTS

House rules Send corrections
This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bug bear

    >Despite that, the EU warned that cross border online purchasing remained small, at only seven per cent last year, compared to six per cent in 2006

    >The report blamed numerous linguistic, practical, regulatory and trust issue obstacles for stifling the development of online shopping in the EU.

    Add to that list businesses that have a presence in more than one EU country not allowing you to buy from the country you wish. In many cases the price difference of goods is great enough that buying from outside your own country is cheaper than buying locally even with the shipping charges added on.

    0 0
  2. The BigYin
    Thumb Down

    This is funny

    The EU, which actively prohibits free-trade through the support of price-fixing cartels and establishment of artificial trade barriers, is now bemoaning the lack of free trade. You couldn't make it up if you tried.

    How about actually allowing free trade Mr/Ms Eurocrat? Y'know; let me buy CDs/DVDs from where I like and play them where I like. Let me by clothes from where I like. Let companies import what they want from where they want to gain competitive advantage.

    But no, all the EU does is trough up barriers to trade and support price-fixing (play.com, anyone?)

    0 0
  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Taxation is protectionism

    They keep calling for no protectionism, so when do we drop all the taxation?

    There's actually more to this, then the report makes out, but that still doesn't change the undeniable fact that taxation is a form of protectionism.

    0 0
  4. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    WEEE and batteries

    What part of COMMON MARKET was so hard to understand ? To legally sell electronic devices EU wide you have to register for recycling in 27+ jurisdictions.

    0 0
This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like