Border-free online shopping in Europe

From now on, consumers in Europe will have unlimited access to online services and goods. In other words, the days of not being able to order something from a website because there were no access permissions from your country are now over. “This will ensure a larger, and often also cheaper, online offer for the Flemish consumer,” says MEP Anneleen Van Bossuyt. “What’s more, our SMEs will now be able to reach millions more customers as well.”

Consumer benefits

Anneleen Van Bossuyt, one of the main negotiators of the new legislation, sees many advantages for the consumer: “A Fleming who wishes to book a weekend at Euro Disney via a French website because he or she came across a cheaper deal there, won’t have any issues doing this. That’s only logical, given that you ought to be able to shop without restriction in a single internal market.”

Additionally, companies entering the online market do not need to be familiar with all the national consumer regulations of the EU Member States. That will encourage them to start up webshops in other countries and by so doing increase their potential clientele. It will also allow Flemish SMEs to focus on specific, profitable markets in Europe.

Geoblocking still in place for films and series, however

Audiovisual media is not covered by the new legislation. By restricting certain intellectual property content in other countries, the value of films or series - not to mention e-books, music and online games - is protected in various different markets. “That’s a great thing for our Flemish audiovisual sector, which plays a major role in the constitution of our language and culture,” Anneleen Van Bossuyt concludes. “It also ensures that the financing of films or series is not endangered.”