The European Union (EU) has made reform of the e-commerce rules in Europe one of its main priorities for 2018.
The European Commission has already published two proposed Directives relating to cross-border e-commerce but legislative progress has been slow – a situation that the Commission plans to correct in 2018.
The Commission’s stated aim is to establish a more harmonised set of rules for the supply of digital content and sale of online goods across the EU, and to make it easier and less costly for businesses to engage in cross-border commerce. But what most e-commerce providers will focus on is the increased rights for EU consumers, particularly in the context of defects. The new rules will apply to online e-commerce providers, whether EU-based or not.
These changes are part of a wider programme of reform affecting all businesses operating in the Technology, Media and Telecoms (TMT) sectors in Europe.
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