B2B Internet trading platforms: Opportunities and barriers for SMEs. A first assessment

Summary:

The objectives of this working document are: to analyse the current state of development of B2B Internet platforms, taking into account the results of the dot.com crisis, (e.g. which business models have proved to be economically viable and what are the possible future trends); to analyse potential barriers for SMEs in using B2B Internet platforms and to identify policy challenges and potential actions to address them, (e.g. what prevents SMEs from using the Internet as a business tool for buying and selling goods and services and how to address these issues); to prepare for a policy agenda to facilitate the use of B2B Internet platforms for SMEs, (e.g. what, if anything, needs to be done at European level and how).

In this context, the main policy challenges are to promote the internal market and to address the risk of a digital divide between large companies and SMEs. More generally, there is a risk of an uneven distribution of costs and benefits across certain supply chains. This working document should be considered as a first step to preparing a discussion on these issues at European level.