Antitrust: Commission opens three investigations into suspected anticompetitive practices in e-commerce

The European Commission issued a press release on the 2 February 2017, stating it had launched three separate investigations to assess if certain online sales practices prevent, in breach of EU antitrust rules, consumers from enjoying cross-border choice and being able to buy consumer electronics, video games and hotel accommodation at competitive prices.

Although more and more goods and services are traded over the internet worldwide, cross-border online sales within the EU are only growing slowly. The Commission's Digital Single Market Strategy identifies a number of regulatory barriers that hinder cross-border e-commerce and proposes different initiatives to address these. However, there are also indications that businesses may themselves establish barriers to cross-border online trade, with a view to fragmenting the EU's Single Market along national borders and preventing competition. The Commission has therefore launched an inquiry to gather market information in order to better understand the nature, prevalence and effects of these barriers and to assess them in light of EU antitrust rules.

• Primary Source

EP: EPRS: Briefing: EU Legislation in Progress, July 2018 (and periodically updated): Copyright in the digital single market http://www.europeansources.info/record/copyright-in-the-digital-single-market/

ESO: Background information: State of the Union 2016: Commission proposes modern EU copyright rules for European culture to flourish and circulate http://www.europeansources.info/record/state-of-the-union-2016-commission-proposes-modern-eu-copyright-rules-for-european-culture-to-flourish-and-circulate/

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