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Problems presented by third-country e-commerce
Online commerce is a defining feature of the modern world. It opens up opportunities for consumers and businesses alike. For consumers, it can mean a wider choice of goods and services at cheaper prices. For business, it offers new ways to reach larger markets. The borderless nature of online commerce means that, today, such opportunities within the EU are also open to businesses from elsewhere, and this phenomenon has been on the rise in recent years. Many consumers are familiar now with the advantages ...
Alternative dispute resolution
Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is a process allowing complaints to be settled out of court with the assistance of an impartial dispute resolution body. Through ADR, consumers can settle a complaint against a trader for breach of contract, outside court procedures, assisted by impartial, neutral dispute mediation, arbitration or conciliation. Since 2013, the share of e commerce in the EU economy has increased significantly, up from 2 % to 4 % of EU gross domestic product (GDP), increasing the ...
VAT in the digital age
Value added tax (VAT) is one of the key revenue raisers in national budgets, accounting on average for almost a fifth of all tax revenue collected in the EU; and yet, sizeable amounts of VAT revenue are lost to fraud. Moreover, VAT rules place a considerable administrative burden on businesses. On 8 December 2022, to help fight VAT fraud and reduce this burden, the European Commission tabled a three-part proposal for a directive on VAT in the digital age. The proposal has three main objectives. The ...
Protecting consumers and tackling unfair competition by boosting EU oversight in e-commerce and imports
The EU's new product safety rulebook contains obligations for economic operators (i.e. manufacturers, importers and distributors) which import products from third countries, as well as specific rules for online marketplaces. This legislation was signed into law on 10 May 2023 and will apply from 13 December 2024. During the October II part-session, Ϸվ will debate a statement from the Commission on product safety and unfair competition, with regard in particular to online imports from third ...
WTO agreement on electronic commerce
On 26 July 2024, after 5 years of negotiations, 82 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) reached an agreement on the first-ever global rules on electronic commerce. The plurilateral talks were led by the co conveners Australia, Japan and Singapore, under a WTO joint statement initiative (JSI) that had attracted 91 participants, accounting for more than 90 % of global trade. While the deal is a sign that plurilateral talks have the potential to inject fresh momentum into the WTO's negotiating ...
Proposal to simplify VAT rules for e-commerce (imports)
The rise of e-commerce has required changes to the system of value-added tax (VAT) to ensure that the rules allow for smooth and fraud-proof transactions between customers and sellers. The major overhaul of the VAT rules for e-commerce in 2021 introduced a series of important simplifications for businesses, such as the creation of an import one-stop shop (IOSS). The IOSS allows businesses to declare and remit VAT on all their business-to-consumer (B2C) distance sales of imported goods across the ...
Preview of the World Trade Organization's 2024 Ministerial Conference
The World Trade Organization (WTO) will hold its 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi from 26 to 29 February 2024. Priority items on the MC13 agenda are likely to include the reform of the WTO's dispute settlement function; new disciplines to eliminate fisheries subsidies that encourage overfishing and overcapacity, to complement the multilateral Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies adopted at MC12 in June 2022 and currently under ratification; the integration of the plurilateral Investment ...
EU framework on alternative dispute resolution for consumers
Directive (2013/11/EU) on alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes (the 'ADR Directive') provides an out-of-court solution for consumers to resolve disputes on goods and services purchased from traders established in the single market. Together with Regulation (EU) No 524/2013 on online dispute resolution for consumer disputes (the 'ODR Regulation'), the ADR Directive forms a horizontal EU-level framework for alternative dispute resolution. The significant increase of online sales, in ...
E-commerce and the EU Green Deal - Analysis of the environmental footprint of online sales in the context of the circular economy
The rise of online sales and marketplaces poses new challenges to product safety, consumer protection, and unfair business practices. At the same time, e-commerce has the potential to facilitate more sustainable production processes and consumption patterns and ensure more circularity. This study provides information on the role of e-commerce in implementing the European Green Deal and makes recommendations for future action. This document was provided by the Policy Department for Economic, Scientific ...
E-commerce and the EU Green Deal - Analysis of the environmental footprint of online sales in the context of the circular economy
The rise of online sales and marketplaces poses new challenges to product safety, consumer protection, and unfair business practices. At the same time, e-commerce has the potential to facilitate more sustainable production processes and consumption patterns and ensure more circularity. This study provides information on the role of e-commerce in implementing the European Green Deal and makes recommendations for future action. This document was provided by the Policy Department for Economic, Scientific ...