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Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is a process allowing complaints to be settled out of court with the assistance of an impartial dispute resolution body. Through ADR, consumers can settle a complaint against a trader for breach of contract, outside court procedures, assisted by impartial, neutral dispute mediation, arbitration or conciliation. Since 2013, the share of e commerce in the EU economy has increased significantly, up from 2 % to 4 % of EU gross domestic product (GDP), increasing the ...

This research paper examines the evolving landscape of digital trade and its impact on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the European Union (EU). As digitalisation transforms global commerce, EU SMEs face significant opportunities as well as regulatory and competitive challenges. The study highlights key digital policy approaches, and in that context situates the current EU practice and commitments in international trade agreements affecting cross-border data flows, digital platforms and ...

The problems posed by the increasingly high numbers of online purchases made by EU consumers, particularly from third-country traders, have risen to the top of the political agenda. During the July part-session, Parliament will vote on the report adopted by the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) on product safety and regulatory compliance in e-commerce and non-EU imports.

Online commerce is a defining feature of the modern world. It opens up opportunities for consumers and businesses alike. For consumers, it can mean a wider choice of goods and services at cheaper prices. For business, it offers new ways to reach larger markets. The borderless nature of online commerce means that, today, such opportunities within the EU are also open to businesses from elsewhere, and this phenomenon has been on the rise in recent years. Many consumers are familiar now with the advantages ...

Value added tax (VAT) is one of the key revenue raisers in national budgets, accounting on average for almost a fifth of all tax revenue collected in the EU; and yet, sizeable amounts of VAT revenue are lost to fraud. Moreover, VAT rules place a considerable administrative burden on businesses. On 8 December 2022, to help fight VAT fraud and reduce this burden, the European Commission tabled a three-part proposal for a directive on VAT in the digital age. The proposal has three main objectives. The ...

The EU's new product safety rulebook contains obligations for economic operators (i.e. manufacturers, importers and distributors) which import products from third countries, as well as specific rules for online marketplaces. This legislation was signed into law on 10 May 2023 and will apply from 13 December 2024. During the October II part-session, Parliament will debate a statement from the Commission on product safety and unfair competition, with regard in particular to online imports from third ...

On 26 July 2024, after 5 years of negotiations, 82 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) reached an agreement on the first-ever global rules on electronic commerce. The plurilateral talks were led by the co conveners Australia, Japan and Singapore, under a WTO joint statement initiative (JSI) that had attracted 91 participants, accounting for more than 90 % of global trade. While the deal is a sign that plurilateral talks have the potential to inject fresh momentum into the WTO's negotiating ...

The rise of e-commerce has required changes to the system of value-added tax (VAT) to ensure that the rules allow for smooth and fraud-proof transactions between customers and sellers. The major overhaul of the VAT rules for e-commerce in 2021 introduced a series of important simplifications for businesses, such as the creation of an import one-stop shop (IOSS). The IOSS allows businesses to declare and remit VAT on all their business-to-consumer (B2C) distance sales of imported goods across the ...

The World Trade Organization (WTO) will hold its 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi from 26 to 29 February 2024. Priority items on the MC13 agenda are likely to include the reform of the WTO's dispute settlement function; new disciplines to eliminate fisheries subsidies that encourage overfishing and overcapacity, to complement the multilateral Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies adopted at MC12 in June 2022 and currently under ratification; the integration of the plurilateral Investment ...

Directive (2013/11/EU) on alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes (the 'ADR Directive') provides an out-of-court solution for consumers to resolve disputes on goods and services purchased from traders established in the single market. Together with Regulation (EU) No 524/2013 on online dispute resolution for consumer disputes (the 'ODR Regulation'), the ADR Directive forms a horizontal EU-level framework for alternative dispute resolution. The significant increase of online sales, in ...