Online paid services usable everywhere in the EU

The European Parliament and the European Council have reached an agreement which makes paid online subscriptions portable to all countries of the European Union. “Flemish Netflix enthusiasts who travel abroad will undoubtedly have noticed that the film or TV series they want to watch isn’t available in the country they are visiting,” says MEP Anneleen Van Bossuyt. “An irritating practice which is finally being brought to an end at the start of 2018.”

Anneleen Van Bossuyt has long been advocating the portability of online services. “Today, over 600,000 Flemings have a Netflix subscription. And it’s only logical that they should also be able to enjoy that service when they’re on holiday elsewhere in Europe. After all, they’re paying good money for it. When you cross the border in a train, you don’t have to hand in your book, do you?” And it’s not only Netflix users who will be benefiting from these new rules: “Also people who like to play online video games when on holiday, or read an e-book or listen to music, can breathe a sigh of relief from now on.”

Check system

Anneleen Van Bossuyt stresses that the new rules only apply to paid services and are only applicable to travellers who are temporarily located in a different Member State. To verify this, companies offering these services will work through a registration and verification system.