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 The European Commission said its law would stop "geoblocking" where
companies limit access to their websites based on user location,
often forcing customers to use versions based in their own country,
sometimes with higher prices.
"In the online world, all too often consumers are blocked from
accessing offers in other countries," the Commission said in a
statement.
"Such discrimination has no place in the single market."
The law would affect companies such as Amazon, eBay and Zalando as
well as to sales of services provided in a specific location, for
example car rental, accommodation and concert tickets.
It would not initially apply to copyright-protected items such as
e-books, music and games, although those might be included soon, the
Commission said. So for the time being a German citizen would still
be unable to buy a Spotify subscription in, for example, Estonia,
where it is much cheaper.
Under Wednesday's proposal, which requires the approval of the
European Parliament and national governments to become law,
retailers would not be allowed to block access to websites based on
a user's location or to re-route customers to a website version
based in their own country without their consent.
Amazon already makes its websites accessible to customers anywhere
in Europe, and says 98 percent of its own stock is available to
shoppers from any European country.
While e-commerce websites will not be allowed to prevent customers
in one EU country buying products in another, they will not be
forced to deliver cross-border.
Therefore, an Italian buying a TV from a German website would either
have to arrange their own delivery or collect it at the trader's
premises.
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The Commission hopes the new rules will increase the proportion of consumers who
buy online from another country, currently only 15 percent.
A business group said the proposal failed to address the reasons companies use
geoblocking, such as differing VAT rates and consumer protection rules.
"This is like putting a sticking plaster on a broken leg," said John Higgins,
director general of DIGITALEUROPE, which represents companies such as Sony,
Google and Dropbox.
In a separate proposal, the EU executive sought to increase the transparency of
prices for cross-border parcel delivery and to give national authorities the
power to assess whether they are affordable.
In addition, national postal operators will have to give other operators access
to cross-border parcel delivery services.
(Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
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