What Will EU Regulators’ X-Border eCommerce Findings Reveal?

The long-anticipated report from the European Union competition watchdog will soon be released, providing everyone in the cross-border eCommerce industry an insight into any possible antitrust issues.

The EU regulators are set to release this data as part of their year-long investigation into potential barriers of the cross-border eCommerce ecosystem. That report is supposed to be released next week and will include details of the 28 nations in the EU. It also could give the regulators the information necessary to make a case against companies that may be committing anti-fraud practices.

Specifically, the probe is focused on trade in electronics, clothing, shoes and digital content to determine if any companies have employed practices that would bar competition from occurring. This means looking into details like the agreements that would limit sales of goods and services in particular regions in order to manipulate prices.

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager was cited in Reuters as sharing that the group is set to release the details on March 18.

“This is the first analysis, and then maybe we will look into opening cases,” she said.

Recently released data from the European Commission indicates that 15 percent of EU consumers bought a product from another country in the EU. Yet, half of those consumers shopped online; the various friction points — language issues, regulation and anti-competitive practices — may be impacting the cross-border shopping figures.

The final report is set for release early next year.