The document outlines 7 problems hindering the development of a digital single market in the EU: 1) Cross-border e-commerce rules that do not allow consumers and businesses to operate freely across borders, 2) High costs of cross-border parcel delivery, 3) Unjustified restrictions on selling to other EU countries like geo-blocking, 4) High VAT compliance costs for cross-border sales, 5) Fragmented copyright rules obstructing data use, 6) Lack of consistent regulations for online platforms, and 7) Low broadband access and digital skills limiting growth of the digital economy.
9. ➡ EU consumers could save EUR 11.7 billion each year if they could
choose from a full range of EU goods and services when shopping
online.
10. ➡ EU consumers could save EUR 11.7 billion each year if they could
choose from a full range of EU goods and services when shopping
online.
➡ Small online businesses wishing to trade in another EU country face
around €9,000 extra costs for having to adapt to national laws.
11. ➡ EU consumers could save EUR 11.7 billion each year if they could
choose from a full range of EU goods and services when shopping
online.
➡ Small online businesses wishing to trade in another EU country face
around €9,000 extra costs for having to adapt to national laws.
➡ If the same rules for e-commerce were applied in all EU Member States,
57% of companies would either start or increase their online sales to
other EU countries.
13. ➡ More than 90% of e-shoppers consider low delivery prices and
convenient return options as important when buying online.
14. ➡ More than 90% of e-shoppers consider low delivery prices and
convenient return options as important when buying online.
➡ 62% of companies that are willing to sell online say that too high
delivery costs are a problem.
15. ➡ More than 90% of e-shoppers consider low delivery prices and
convenient return options as important when buying online.
➡ 62% of companies that are willing to sell online say that too high
delivery costs are a problem.
➡ Listed tariffs for cross-border parcel delivery charged by national postal
operators are estimated to be two to five times higher than domestic
prices.
17. ➡ In 52% of all attempts at cross-border orders the seller does not serve the
country of the consumer less clients, less revenues for companies
18. ➡ In 52% of all attempts at cross- border orders the seller does not serve
the country of the consumer.
➡ 74% of the complaints received by the European Consumer Centres
Network regarding price differences or other geographical
discrimination faced by consumers relate to online cross-border
purchases.
20. ➡ An EU business wishing to make cross-border sales faces a VAT
compliance cost of at least EUR 5,000 annually for each targeted
Member State.
21. ➡ An EU business wishing to make cross-border sales faces a VAT
compliance cost of at least EUR 5,000 annually for each targeted
Member State.
➡ EU businesses face significant distortions from VAT free goods supplied
by non-EU business. These distortions cost EU business turnover of up
to EUR 4.5 billion annually.
23. ➡ Fragmented implementation of copyright rules and lack of clarity over
rights to use data further obstruct the development of cross-border data
use and new applications of technologies (e.g. text and data mining).
The lack of open and interoperable systems and services and of data
portability between services represents another barrier for the cross-
border flow of data and the development of new services (e.g. multi-
modal travel information systems, data-driven science).
24. 6.
A fit for purpose regulatory environment for
platforms and intermediaries
25. ➡ Online platforms (e.g. search engines, social media, e-commerce
platforms, app stores, price comparison websites) are playing an ever
more central role in social and economic life: they enable consumers to
find online information and businesses to exploit the advantages of e-
commerce. Europe has a strong potential in this area but is held back by
fragmented markets which make it hard for businesses to scale-up.
27. ➡ Take-up of fast broadband is low: only 22.5% of all subscriptions are fast
ones (above 30Mbps) and Europe has witnessed significant time lags in
the roll- out of the latest 4G technology due to the non-availability of
suitable spectrum .
28. ➡ Take-up of fast broadband is low: only 22.5% of all subscriptions are fast
ones (above 30Mbps) and Europe has witnessed significant time lags in
the roll- out of the latest 4G technology due to the non-availability of
suitable spectrum .
➡ Only 59% of Europeans can access 4G, dropping to 15% in rural areas.
30. ➡ Almost half the EU population (47%) is not properly digitally skilled, yet
in the near future, 90% of jobs will require some level of digital skills
