174-684: The term digital single market refers to the policy objective of eliminating national or other jurisdictional barriers to online transactions , building on the common market concept designed to remove trade barriers in other commercial fields. On 6 May 2015, the European Commission , led at the time by Jean-Claude Juncker , established the Digital Single Market Strategy , intended to remove virtual borders, boost digital connectivity , and make it easier for consumers to access cross-border online content across
348-578: A 'multi-lingual talking shop'." Its development since its foundation shows how the European Union 's structures have evolved without a clear 'master plan'. Tom Reid of The Washington Post has said of the union that "nobody would have deliberately designed a government as complex and as redundant as the EU". Even the Parliament's three working locations , which have switched several times, are
522-562: A President or his Commission, but the threat to do so has produced concessions to Parliament on the Commission's composition or on policy commitments. As described above, when the Barroso Commission was put forward, the Parliament forced the proposal to be withdrawn and changed to be more acceptable to Parliament. That pressure was seen as an important sign by some of the evolving nature of the Parliament and its ability to make
696-538: A danger for the economy and democracy by many researchers and could try to abuse certain positions within this future market. It will therefore be imperative to have a specific regulation, to the abuse of dominant positions. Finally, to reach its objectives, Europe is confronted with three challenges in particular: the concentration of players, tax evasion and inequalities linked to digital technology (digital fracture). Online transactions E-commerce ( electronic commerce ) refers to commercial activities including
870-425: A dedicated website and keep them updated. If parcel delivery companies don't comply with the regulation, it will be up to individual Member States to enforce penalties. From 1 April 2018, consumers will be able to access digital services such as an on-line distribution service for films and TV series that they have already paid for when travelling in a different Member State, without restriction and at no cost. There
1044-481: A double-digit pace through 2014. By 2016, eMarketer expected retail e-commerce sales in Brazil to reach $ 17.3 billion. Logistics in e-commerce mainly concerns fulfillment. Online markets and retailers have to find the best possible way to fill orders and deliver products. Small companies usually control their own logistic operation because they do not have the ability to hire an outside company. Most large companies hire
1218-430: A fulfillment service that takes care of a company's logistic needs. The optimization of logistics processes that contains long-term investment in an efficient storage infrastructure system and adoption of inventory management strategies is crucial to prioritize customer satisfaction throughout the entire process, from order placement to final delivery. E-commerce markets are growing at noticeable rates. The online market
1392-464: A great deal of indirect influence, through non-binding resolutions and committee hearings , as a "pan-European soapbox " with the ear of thousands of Brussels-based journalists . There is also an indirect effect on foreign policy ; the Parliament must approve all development grants, including those overseas. For example, the support for post-war Iraq reconstruction, or incentives for the cessation of Iranian nuclear development , must be supported by
1566-407: A long time, companies had been troubled by the gap between the benefits which supply chain technology has and the solutions to deliver those benefits. However, the emergence of e-commerce has provided a more practical and effective way of delivering the benefits of the new supply chain technologies. E-commerce has the capability to integrate all inter-company and intra-company functions, meaning that
1740-552: A month, but sometimes there are additional sessions in Brussels, while the Parliament's committee meetings are held primarily in Brussels, Belgium. In practice, the Parliament works three weeks per month in Brussels and one week (four days) in Strasbourg. The Parliament, like the other EU institutions, was not designed in its current form when it first met on 10 September 1952. One of the oldest common institutions, it began as
1914-553: A more efficient and effective way to collaborate with each other within the supply chain. E-commerce helps create new job opportunities due to information related services, software app and digital products. It also causes job losses. The areas with the greatest predicted job-loss are retail, postal, and travel agencies. The development of e-commerce will create jobs that require highly skilled workers to manage large amounts of information, customer demands, and production processes. In contrast, people with poor technical skills cannot enjoy
SECTION 10
#17327732980172088-811: A more sophisticated level of impact on supply chains: Firstly, the performance gap will be eliminated since companies can identify gaps between different levels of supply chains by electronic means of solutions; Secondly, as a result of e-commerce emergence, new capabilities such implementing ERP systems, like SAP ERP , Xero , or Megaventory, have helped companies to manage operations with customers and suppliers. Yet these new capabilities are still not fully exploited. Thirdly, technology companies would keep investing on new e-commerce software solutions as they are expecting investment return. Fourthly, e-commerce would help to solve many aspects of issues that companies may feel difficult to cope with, such as political barriers or cross-country changes. Finally, e-commerce provides companies
2262-809: A new class of regulated firms known as payment institutions (PIs), who are subject to prudential requirements. Article 87 of the PSD requires the European Commission to report on the implementation and impact of the PSD by 1 November 2012. In India , the Information Technology Act 2000 governs the basic applicability of e-commerce . In China , the Telecommunications Regulations of the People's Republic of China (promulgated on 25 September 2000), stipulated
2436-426: A preferable way to promote consumer goods than static photos, and some brands like Sony are already paving the way for augmented reality commerce. Wayfair now lets you inspect a 3D version of its furniture in a home setting before buying. Among emerging economies, China's e-commerce presence continues to expand every year. With 668 million Internet users as of 2014, China's online shopping sales reached $ 253 billion in
2610-447: A presence offline and online by linking physical and online offerings. E-commerce allows customers to overcome geographical barriers and allows them to purchase products anytime and from anywhere. Online and traditional markets have different strategies for conducting business. Traditional retailers offer fewer assortment of products because of shelf space where, online retailers often hold no inventory but send customer orders directly to
2784-491: A result of various agreements or lack of agreements. Although most MEPs would prefer to be based just in Brussels, where it conducts the bulk of its work, at John Major 's 1992 Edinburgh summit , France engineered a treaty amendment whereby the European Parliament's official seat is in Strasbourg. The body was not mentioned in the original Schuman Declaration . It was assumed or hoped that difficulties with
2958-462: A reverse. Similar to the GCC countries, there has been increased purchase of goods and services in online channels rather than offline channels. Activist investors are trying hard to consolidate and slash their overall cost and the governments in western countries continue to impose more regulation on CPG manufacturers (Geisler, 36). In these senses, CPG investors are being forced to adapt to e-commerce as it
3132-509: A series of targeted actions based on 3 pillars. From these 3 pillars will come 16 key actions that constitute the Digital Single Market Strategy. The commission has decided to put in place a strategy for the period 2014 - 2019 called "The Digital Single Market Strategy" (DSMS). It aims to give citizens and businesses better access to the digital world. This strategy is based on 3 pillars, each with 3 actions, and with
3306-453: A set of narrowly defined objective criteria for qualifying a large online platform as a so-called “gatekeeper”. As large systemic online platforms or gatekeepers can be considered the companies which meet the following criteria: One of the main obstacles which large platforms are causing for the market competitiveness is the strengthening of the market entry barriers, which is one of the typical market power abuse features. In order to restrain
3480-731: A subset of Member States. The digital sector as such and in particular the core platform services are of a cross-border nature. As is evidenced by the volume of cross-border trade, almost 24% of total online trade in Europe is cross-border". According to the Commissions` proposal the impact of the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act on the European digital market shall be monitored. The monitoring of
3654-581: A sustainable approach concerning internet governance. Moreover, current trade negotiations led at the World Trade Organization and in other negotiations channels were not mentioned. But during this same year the EU was the first exporter of digital services in the world. The goal of the EU was to be a more attractive location for global companies. The new Trade and Investment Strategy presented in autumn 2015 showed an ambition to develop digital trade and investment policy. In 2018,
SECTION 20
#17327732980173828-489: A text, which they do (or not) through successive readings up to a maximum of three. In its first reading, Parliament may send amendments to the Council which can either adopt the text with those amendments or send back a "common position". That position may either be approved by Parliament, or it may reject the text by an absolute majority , causing it to fail, or it may adopt further amendments, also by an absolute majority. If
4002-506: A trigger for the launch of a market investigation with the purpose of examining new core platform services and practices in the digital sector". Speaking about the monitoring, there will be also developed the numerous indicators, which aim is to assess the implementation of the proposal and the achievement of the aim of contestable and fair digital Market. The Expert Group of the Online Platform Economy will monitor some of
4176-474: A weak position vis-à-vis platforms. Platforms may abuse their relatively stronger position in order to impose unfair terms and conditions upon traders and/or to use unfair commercial practices towards them". The Platform-to-business regulation was adopted on 20 June 2019 and its application started on 12 July 2020, date before which the "platforms had to ensure they complied with the P2B Regulation". For
4350-498: A wider range of products and save customers' time. Consumers also gain power through online shopping. They are able to research products and compare prices among retailers. Thanks to the practice of user-generated ratings and reviews from companies like Bazaarvoice , Trustpilot , and Yelp , customers can also see what other people think of a product, and decide before buying if they want to spend money on it. Also, online shopping often provides sales promotion or discounts code, thus it
4524-474: Is a difference in contract law and this hinders the smooth flow of trade in the single market. To address this, the commission has proposed two directives (2015) to ensure that "consumers who seek to purchase goods or services in another EU country, whether online or by visiting a shop in person, are not discriminated against in terms of price, conditions of sale or payment arrangements, unless objectively justified on grounds such as VAT or certain legal provisions in
4698-503: Is a good step, but a variety of VAT rates across member states still remains which restrict trade. In work to create a Digital Single Market, there are three conceptual problems. First, several reforms which have focused much on digital-specific regulations have added new layers of regulatory complication to data-based commerce in Europe. Second, many of the regulations on data give confusion rather than given clarity and adding more opportunities for experimentation and innovation. Third,
4872-502: Is a one-stop shop for VAT registration. The aim is to avoid having to deal with a number of different national tax systems and then VAT rules are simplified in order to incentivize cross-border trade, combat VAT fraud (especially by non-EU actors), ensure fair competition for EU businesses, and provide equal treatment for online publications. Addressing unlawful practices and identifying rogue traders are national enforcements authorities' means to protect consumers. Thereby, in order to detect
5046-406: Is a portal to report complaints about online and related transactions with foreign companies. There is also Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation . APEC was established in 1989 with the vision of achieving stability, security and prosperity for the region through free and open trade and investment. APEC has an Electronic Commerce Steering Group as well as working on common privacy regulations throughout
5220-503: Is a primary problem for e-commerce in developed and developing countries. E-commerce security is protecting businesses' websites and customers from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction. The type of threats include: malicious codes, unwanted programs ( ad ware , spyware ), phishing , hacking , and cyber vandalism . E-commerce websites use different tools to avert security threats. These tools include firewalls , encryption software , digital certificates, and passwords. For
5394-604: Is a second achievement of the Digital Single Market strategy. It means that mobile users periodically travelling in the EU are able to call, text and access the Internet on their domestic tariff. Cross-border parcel delivery is another part of the commission's strategy on achieving a Digital Single Market. Its regulation which aims to improve price transparency and to facilitate the assessment of certain high cross-border tariffs, entered into force on 22 May 2018. On
Digital Single Market - Misplaced Pages Continue
5568-405: Is also an essential field for e-Commerce businesses. It has responded to the trend of globalization. It shows that numerous firms have opened up new businesses, expanded new markets, and overcome trade barriers; more and more enterprises have started exploring the cross-border cooperation field. In addition, compared with traditional cross-border trade, the information on cross-border e-commerce
5742-624: Is an instrument which is applicable to a particular person or group. Institutions may also issue recommendations and opinions which are merely non-binding, declarations. The Parliament and the Council are also the Union's budgetary authority since the Budgetary Treaties of the 1970s and the Lisbon Treaty . The EU budget is subject to a form of the ordinary legislative procedure with a single reading giving Parliament power over
5916-416: Is business based on types of goods sold (involves everything from ordering "digital" content for immediate online consumption, to ordering conventional goods and services, to "meta" services to facilitate other types of electronic commerce). The second category is based on the nature of the participant ( B2B , B2C , C2B and C2C ). On the institutional level, big corporations and financial institutions use
6090-442: Is effective as well as a means for them to thrive. The future trends in the GCC countries will be similar to that of the western countries. Despite the forces that push business to adapt e-commerce as a means to sell goods and products, the manner in which customers make purchases is similar in countries from these two regions. For instance, there has been an increased usage of smartphones which comes in conjunction with an increase in
6264-441: Is expected to grow by 56% in 2015–2020. In 2017, retail e-commerce sales worldwide amounted to 2.3 trillion US dollars and e-retail revenues are projected to grow to 4.891 trillion US dollars in 2021. Traditional markets are only expected 2% growth during the same time. Brick and mortar retailers are struggling because of online retailer's ability to offer lower prices and higher efficiency. Many larger retailers are able to maintain
6438-561: Is from recycled content. The recycling rate in Europe is 80 percent and Asia is 93 percent. Amazon, the largest user of boxes , has a strategy to cut back on packing material and has reduced packaging material used by 19 percent by weight since 2016. Amazon is requiring retailers to manufacture their product packaging in a way that does not require additional shipping packaging. Amazon also has an 85-person team researching ways to reduce and improve their packaging and shipping materials. European Parliament The European Parliament ( EP )
6612-412: Is more concealed. In the era of globalization, cross-border e-commerce for inter-firm companies means the activities, interactions, or social relations of two or more e-commerce enterprises. However, the success of cross-border e-commerce promotes the development of small and medium-sized firms, and it has finally become a new transaction mode. It has helped the companies solve financial problems and realize
6786-517: Is more price effective for customers. Moreover, e-commerce provides products' detailed information; even the in-store staff cannot offer such detailed explanation. Customers can also review and track the order history online. E-commerce technologies cut transaction costs by allowing both manufactures and consumers to skip through the intermediaries. This is achieved through by extending the search area best price deals and by group purchase. The success of e-commerce in urban and regional levels depend on how
6960-526: Is no limit of time and space, there are more opportunities to reach out to customers around the world, and to cut down unnecessary intermediate links, thereby reducing the cost price, and can benefit from one on one large customer data analysis, to achieve a high degree of personal customization strategic plan, in order to fully enhance the core competitiveness of the products in the company. Modern 3D graphics technologies, such as Facebook 3D Posts , are considered by some social media marketers and advertisers as
7134-440: Is no sufficient focus on and to keep up with the speed of the digital transformation. Furthermore, there is also too much insecurity about how companies can actually adhere to DSM current rules. For instance, the roaming ban is a positive step toward the digital single market but the different ways by which Telecom companies are trying to poach revenue do not correspond with the bottom-up idea of market-driven integration. Similarly,
Digital Single Market - Misplaced Pages Continue
7308-600: Is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions . Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts European legislation, following a proposal by the European Commission . The Parliament is composed of 720 members (MEPs), after the June 2024 European elections, from a previous 705 MEPs. It represents
7482-600: Is seen as the birth of the modern European Parliament, with Parliament's 50 years celebrations being held in March 2008 rather than 2002. The three communities merged their remaining organs as the European Communities in 1967, and the body's name was changed to the current "European Parliament" in 1962. In 1970 the Parliament was granted power over areas of the Communities' budget , which were expanded to
7656-539: Is supported by electronic business . The existence value of e-commerce is to allow consumers to shop online and pay online through the Internet, saving the time and space of customers and enterprises, greatly improving transaction efficiency, especially for busy office workers, and also saving a lot of valuable time. E-commerce businesses may also employ some or all of the following: There are five essential categories of E-commerce: Contemporary electronic commerce can be classified into two categories. The first category
7830-901: Is the body's speaker and presides over the multi-party chamber. The five largest political groups are the European People's Party Group (EPP), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Patriots for Europe (PfE), the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR), and Renew Europe (Renew). The last EU-wide election was held in 2024 . The Parliament's headquarters are officially in Strasbourg , France, and has its administrative offices in Luxembourg City . Plenary sessions are normally held in Strasbourg for four days
8004-681: Is the fragmentation of the digital single market with twenty-seven national regimes. In a digital environment, which is by nature cross-border, national or regional markets do not offer sufficient size, either to generate final demand or to support investment and innovation. Digital companies need a pan-European market to thrive and compete with global leaders, who themselves benefit from large domestic markets. Businesses and citizens alike need world-class digital infrastructure, such as high-speed networks, cloud computing, high performance computing and big data. They also need digital skills, regardless of their sector. The DSM also raises legitimate concerns about
8178-541: Is the largest sector of the electronics industry and is in turn driven by the technological advances of the semiconductor industry . The term was coined and first employed by Robert Jacobson, Principal Consultant to the California State Assembly's Utilities & Commerce Committee, in the title and text of California's Electronic Commerce Act, carried by the late Committee Chairwoman Gwen Moore (D-L.A.) and enacted in 1984. E-commerce typically uses
8352-560: Is to create a safer digital space in which the fundamental rights of all users of digital services are protected. The second is to establish a level playing field to foster innovation, growth, and competitiveness, both in the European Single Market and globally". The Digital Market Act aim therefore to raise a level of competition within the Digital Market of the European Union by preventing the digital giants from
8526-488: Is to transform the market so that it becomes simpler and more sustainable. The environment of the European common market must be conducive to fair competition between traditional telecoms companies and new internet players. The second objective will involve making access to networks and services more reliable but also affordable. Citizens and businesses must have confidence in these networks, especially in terms of preserving their fundamental right to privacy. To achieve this, it
8700-576: The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe . The liberals gave support after Barroso gave them a number of concessions; the liberals previously joined the socialists' call for a delayed vote (the EPP had wanted to approve Barroso in July of that year). Once Barroso put forward the candidates for his next Commission, another case of MEPs opposing a particular nominee arose. Bulgarian nominee Rumiana Jeleva
8874-552: The Bolkestein directive in 2006. In practice, most legislation is adopted at the first reading stage after the Parliament and the Council, having set out their initial positions, then negotiate a compromise text. These negotiations take place in so-called "trilogue" meetings, in which the Commission is also present. In a few areas, special legislative procedures apply. These include justice and home affairs, budget and taxation, and certain aspects of other policy areas, such as
SECTION 50
#17327732980179048-514: The Commission , the regulation "is the first ever set of rules for creating a fair, transparent and predictable business environment for smaller businesses and traders on online platforms". The regulation also aims to fill the gap between EU and national law and "to establish a fair, predictable, sustainable and trusted online business environment, while maintaining and further encouraging an innovation-driven ecosystem around online platforms across
9222-599: The Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). It was a consultative assembly of 78 appointed parliamentarians drawn from the national parliaments of member states, having no legislative powers. The change since its foundation was highlighted by Professor David Farrell of the University of Manchester : "For much of its life, the European Parliament could have been justly labelled
9396-671: The Controlled Substances Act to address online pharmacies . Conflict of laws in cyberspace is a major hurdle for harmonization of legal framework for e-commerce around the world. In order to give a uniformity to e-commerce law around the world, many countries adopted the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce (1996). Internationally there is the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), which
9570-566: The European Council in 1992. It stated the Parliament would retain its formal seat in Strasbourg, where twelve sessions a year would be held, but with all other parliamentary activity in Brussels. This two-seat arrangement was contested by the Parliament, but was later enshrined in the Treaty of Amsterdam . To this day the institution's locations are a source of contention. The Parliament gained more powers from successive revisions of
9744-486: The European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds) which will be available for the digital sector once national and regional strategies are put in place for digital growth, which will strengthen the link between policies and funding targets at all levels. However, more investment needs to be made in digital technology, especially in areas where digital needs are far greater than the capacities of any of
9918-467: The European Union to catch up with its competitors in the digital sector. Indeed, the EU is behind the United States and China that are dominating the digital world. This can be explained by the fact that the European Union invested later in the digital domain than the United States or China, but it can also be explained by European public policies in the digital field. Indeed, although the size of
10092-581: The High Representative . MEPs did not manage to get everything they demanded. However, they got broader financial control over the new body. In December 2017, Politico denounced the insufficient racial diversity among Members of the European Parliament. The subsequent news coverage contributed to create the Brussels So White movement to campaign to rectify this situation. On gender balance, some 37 percent of MEPs were women in
10266-657: The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) as the government department regulating all telecommunications related activities, including electronic commerce. On the same day, the Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services were released, the first administrative regulations to address profit-generating activities conducted through the Internet, and lay the foundation for future regulations governing e-commerce in China. On 28 August 2004,
10440-548: The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe or Pan-African Parliament which are appointed. After that first election, the parliament held its first session on 17 July 1979, electing Simone Veil MEP as its president. Veil was also the first female president of the Parliament since it was formed as the Common Assembly. As an elected body, the Parliament began to draft proposals addressing
10614-429: The right of initiative (i.e. the right to formally initiate the legislative procedure) in the way that most national parliaments of the member states do, as the right of initiative is a prerogative of the European Commission. Nonetheless, the Parliament and the Council each have the right to request the Commission to initiate the legislative procedure and put forward a proposal. The Parliament is, in protocol terms,
SECTION 60
#173277329801710788-436: The web for at least a part of a transaction's life cycle although it may also use other technologies such as e-mail . Typical e-commerce transactions include the purchase of products (such as books from Amazon ) or services (such as music downloads in the form of digital distribution such as the iTunes Store ). There are three areas of e-commerce: online retailing , electronic markets , and online auctions . E-commerce
10962-463: The "first institution" of the European Union (mentioned first in its treaties and having ceremonial precedence over the other EU institutions), and shares equal legislative and budgetary powers with the Council (except on a few issues where special legislative procedures apply). It likewise has equal control over the EU budget . Ultimately, the European Commission, which serves as the executive branch of
11136-426: The 1980s, before it was given any formal right to veto their appointment. Since it became an elected body, the membership of the European Parliament has expanded when new nations have joined (the membership was also adjusted upwards in 1994 after German reunification ). Following this, the Treaty of Nice imposed a cap on the number of members to be elected: 732, later raised to 751 by the Treaty of Lisbon . Like
11310-539: The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht , the Member States gave the Parliament the right to approve or reject an incoming Commission. In the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam , they gave it the right to approve or reject an incoming President of the Commission. In 2004, following the largest trans-national election in history, the European Council proposed as Commission President a candidate, José Manuel Barroso , from
11484-564: The 2014-19 Parliament and 40 percent in the 2019-24 Parliament, a greater proposition than in most national Parliaments in Member States In January 2019, MEPs supported proposals to boost opportunities for women and tackle sexual harassment in the European Parliament. In 2022, four people were arrested because of corruption. This came to be known as the Qatar corruption scandal at the European Parliament . In October 2023,
11658-504: The 27 European countries into 5 groups according to their contributions to the digital sector. And it is therefore to overcome this delay and this difference in digital development between the member states of the European Union that the strategy of the Digital Single Market was created. Future steps taken on building the DSM should be more dynamic and should focus on deregulation rather than simple regulation in order to address issues where there
11832-547: The APEC region. In Australia , trade is covered under Australian Treasury Guidelines for electronic commerce and the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission regulates and offers advice on how to deal with businesses online, and offers specific advice on what happens if things go wrong. The European Union undertook an extensive enquiry into e-commerce in 2015–16 which observed significant growth in
12006-489: The B2B marketplace in China with a market share of 44.82%, followed by several other companies including Made-in-China.com at 3.21%, and GlobalSources.com at 2.98%, with the total transaction value of China's B2B market exceeding 4.5 billion yuan. China is also the largest e-commerce market in the world by value of sales, with an estimated US$ 899 billion in 2016. It accounted for 42.4% of worldwide retail e-commerce in that year,
12180-612: The British would be resolved to allow the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to perform legislative tasks. A separate Assembly was introduced during negotiations on the Treaty as an institution to counterbalance and monitor the executive while providing democratic legitimacy. The wording of the ECSC Treaty demonstrated leaders' desire for more than a normal consultative assembly by allowing for direct election and using
12354-418: The Commission accountable, rather than being a rubber stamp for candidates. Furthermore, in voting on the Commission, MEPs also vote along party lines, rather than national lines, despite frequent pressure from national governments on their MEPs. This cohesion and willingness to use the Parliament's power ensured greater attention from national leaders, other institutions and the public – reversing
12528-539: The Commission's powers but did agree to respond within three months. Most requests are already responded to positively. During the setting up of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Parliament used its control over the EU budget to influence the shape of the EEAS. MEPs had aimed at getting greater oversight over the EEAS by linking it to the Commission and having political deputies to
12702-473: The Commission; and the right to question members of those institutions (e.g. "Commission Question Time " every Tuesday). Regarding written and oral questions, MEPs voted in July 2008 to limit questions to those within the EU's mandate and ban offensive or personal questions. The Parliament also has other powers of general supervision, mainly granted by the Maastricht Treaty . The Parliament has
12876-490: The Council does not approve these, then a " Conciliation Committee " is formed. The committee is composed of the Council members plus an equal number of MEPs who seek to agree a compromise. Once a position is agreed, it has to be approved by Parliament, by a simple majority. This is also aided by Parliament's mandate as the only directly democratic institution, which has given it leeway to have greater control over legislation than other institutions, for example over its changes to
13050-421: The Council has the power in some intergovernmental matters). In Community matters , this is a power uniquely reserved for the European Commission (the executive). Therefore, while Parliament can amend and reject legislation, to make a proposal for legislation, it needs the Commission to draft a bill before anything can become law. The value of a right of initiative has anyway been questioned by noting that in
13224-551: The DSA and DMA is divided into regular monitoring, each two years and the qualitative assessments, with usage of a market assessment indicators. "Regular and continuous monitoring is covering the following main aspects: the on scope-related issues (e.g. criteria for the designation of gatekeepers, evolution of the designation of gatekeepers, use of the qualitative assessment in the designation process); (ii) unfair practices (compliance, enforcement patterns, evolution); and (iii) monitoring as
13398-483: The Digital Single Market. For example, on 20 April 2012, took a resolution on a competitive digital single market and e-government. The Parliament also adopted a resolution in July 2013 to complete the Digital Single Market. In January 2016, to respond to the DSM Strategy proposal, the European Parliament adopted a resolution named "Towards a Digital Single Market Act". The goals of this proposal were notably to ask
13572-539: The EU economy in the range of €2 billion to €19.5 billion a year". The terms Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act have been firstly introduced in the European Commission proposal from 15 December 2020. The purpose of this new proposal was to tackle the challenges which have not been considered in the E-Commerce Directive from the year 2000. According to the European Commission the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act have two main goals. "First
13746-466: The EU in February 2018 prohibits any attempt to restrict consumers access to goods and services on e-commerce websites on the basis of their nationality or country of residence and establishment. The customers will be entitled to order the product and services irrespective of their place of connection and without having to pay additional fees. The elimination of retail roaming charges effective June 2017
13920-524: The EU treaties, notably through the extension of the ordinary legislative procedure (originally called the codecision procedure), and the right to approve international agreements through the consent procedure. In 1999, the Parliament forced the resignation of the Santer Commission . The Parliament had refused to approve the Community budget over allegations of fraud and mis-management in
14094-452: The EU". For Cauffman, "the protection offered largely remains limited to transparency obligations imposed on platform operators. It remains to be seen whether this is sufficient to offer professional sellers the desired protection". The regulation is important because "according to a recent European Commission study, 46% of all business users experience problems with online platforms in the course of their business relationships, with an impact on
14268-520: The EU's Commission-led international negotiations and have a right to information on agreements. Parliament did not secure an explicit vote over the appointment of delegation heads and special representatives for foreign policy, but it was agreed that they will appear before parliament after they have been appointed by the High Representative . Parliament wanted a pledge from the Commission that it would automatically put forward legislation when parliament requests. Barroso considered this an infringement on
14442-476: The EU's various regulations can have clashes between them. There is therefore a lack of coordination hence the necessity of a clearer taxonomy of the specific ambitions of one regulation. Therefore, in order to create a better and larger space for the digital economy to grow, the efforts of the Europeans institutions and Member-State governments have to be redoubled in the next few years. The main challenge faced
14616-471: The EU, export them in the US territory and make them their own. In 2020, the EU demonstrated its willingness to play a key role on international dimensions, including its digital policy orientation towards societal interests, prosperity and competitiveness, through the tool of diplomacy, the use of a power of regulation and the financial instruments. The Digital Single Market is a strategy put in place for
14790-436: The EU, including in rural areas, while preserving effective competition. Much of the necessary investment will come from the private sector , based on an improved regulatory environment. The digital single market demands high-quality infrastructure. The EU is already mobilizing investments of around €50 billion from the public and private sectors for the digital transformation of industry. It has also released €21.4 billion from
14964-403: The EU, is accountable to Parliament. In particular, Parliament can decide whether or not to approve the European Council's nominee for President of the Commission , and is further tasked with approving (or rejecting) the appointment of the Commission as a whole. It can subsequently force the current Commission to resign by adopting a motion of censure . The president of the European Parliament
15138-453: The European Commission to suppress the geo-blocking practices, to enhance the access to goods and services for the European consumers and also to establish an equivalent consumer protection (equivalent if the goods are being bought offline or online). Over the years, the EP have been building the DSM via thorough legislative enterprise. The legislation covers a wide range of digital concerns, from
15312-457: The European Commission will use the full range of instruments and funding possibilities available. However, the full support of Member States, the European Parliament, the Council , and stakeholders is essential. For the benefits of the digital revolution to be within everyone's reach, Europe needs a regulatory framework applicable to electronic communications that promotes the deployment of infrastructures capable of functioning seamlessly throughout
15486-410: The European Commission, there have been already made researches about the expected effects political effects from the new legislation. One of the anticipated impacts is the sovereignisation of Europe because of more integration due to the harmonisation of the Digital Market. On 4 July 2013, the European Parliament adopted a new resolution concerning the achievement of the digital single market with
15660-446: The European Commission. A notable example was on the Bolkestein directive in 2006, when the Parliament voted by a large majority for over 400 amendments that changed the fundamental principle of the law. The Financial Times described it in the following terms: That is where the European parliament has suddenly come into its own. It marks another shift in power between the three central EU institutions. Last week's vote suggests that
15834-484: The European Council having to make its proposal to Parliament in light of the results of the European elections. Barroso gained the support of the European Council for a second term and secured majority support from the Parliament in September 2009. Parliament voted 382 votes in favour and 219 votes against (117 abstentions) with support of the European People's Party , European Conservatives and Reformists Party and
16008-433: The European Union and its wealth per capita, it is very difficult to compete with the United States and China, and it is partly due to certain European public policies. Some European policies are not very favorable to the digital economy as can be seen from the various policies that are rather hostile to the new economy, we can cite among these policies: the competition policy or the general regulation of data protection. Today,
16182-429: The European Union. The Digital Single Market, which is one of the Commission's 10 political priorities, aims to fit the EU's single market for the digital age, moving from 28 national digital markets to a single one, and then opening up digital services to all citizens and strengthen business competitiveness in the digital economy. In other words, the Digital Single Market is a market characterized by ensuring
16356-535: The European Union. The areas where the principal incomes are from are the European electronic communications and services area with 86.1 billion euro, data flows and artificial intelligence area with 51.6 billion euro and the single digital gateway area with 20 billion euro. The aim of the Digital Single Market is to modernize regulations and make them more homogeneous on subjects such as consumer protection, copyright, and online sales. The European Commission specifies and says that five objectives are noted: To help this,
16530-551: The FTC Act, which prohibits unfair or deceptive practices, the FTC has brought a number of cases to enforce the promises in corporate privacy statements, including promises about the security of consumers' personal information. As a result, any corporate privacy policy related to e-commerce activity may be subject to enforcement by the FTC. The Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008, which came into law in 2008, amends
16704-684: The Member States acting in isolation. Efficiency can be gained by combining and complementing EU funding programs with other sources of public and private funding, notably through the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI). In April 2017, investments in the digital sector associated with the EFSI represented around 17.8 billion EUR, including public and private funding, (i.e., 10% of the total amount of investments mobilized at that date). However, current funding instruments have limitations when applied to large mission-oriented initiatives. Therefore,
16878-399: The Parliament adopted a resolution to condemn "Hamas' despicable terrorist attacks against Israel". The Parliament and Council have been compared to the two chambers of a bicameral legislature. However, there are some differences from national legislatures ; for example, neither the Parliament nor the Council have the power of legislative initiative (except for the fact that
17052-549: The Parliament. Parliamentary support was also required for the transatlantic passenger data-sharing deal with the United States. Finally, Parliament holds a non-binding vote on new EU treaties but cannot veto it. However, when Parliament threatened to vote down the Nice Treaty, the Belgian and Italian Parliaments said that if it did so, they would veto the treaty on the European Parliament's behalf. With each new treaty,
17226-544: The President according to the treaties. Following the approval of the Commission President, the members of the Commission are proposed by the President in accord with the member states. Each Commissioner comes before a relevant parliamentary committee hearing covering the proposed portfolio. They are then, as a body, approved or rejected by the Parliament. In practice, the Parliament has never voted against
17400-442: The US dominated the field of digital technologies with its big firms as Facebook, which led the competitiveness for the EU in this field. One of the reasons was that the European measures concerning technological products innovations in the EU were unfavourable for the growth and competitiveness of EU digital technologies. The consequence of this issue is that American digital firms as Facebook can take those innovative ideas issued from
17574-993: The United Kingdom , the Financial Services Authority (FSA) was formerly the regulating authority for most aspects of the EU's Payment Services Directive (PSD), until its replacement in 2013 by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority . The UK implemented the PSD through the Payment Services Regulations 2009 (PSRs), which came into effect on 1 November 2009. The PSR affects firms providing payment services and their customers. These firms include banks, non-bank credit card issuers and non-bank merchant acquirers, e-money issuers, etc. The PSRs created
17748-424: The United States, United Kingdom or France but is growing at a much faster rate, adding around six million new entrants every month. In India, cash on delivery is the most preferred payment method, accumulating 75% of the e-retail activities. The India retail market is expected to rise from 2.5% in 2016 to 5% in 2020. In 2013, Brazil's e-commerce was growing quickly with retail e-commerce sales expected to grow at
17922-463: The city of Hangzhou established a pilot program artificial intelligence-based Internet Court to adjudicate disputes related to e-commerce and internet-related intellectual property claims. In 2010, the United Kingdom had the highest per capita e-commerce spending in the world. As of 2013, the Czech Republic was the European country where e-commerce delivers the biggest contribution to
18096-428: The commission will explore ways to put in place a framework to support the development of a pan-European high-performance computing and data infrastructure. Combining different EU funding sources with national and private funding would be the best way to stimulate investment. The following measures have reached to remove or reduce some of the main impediments to cross-border trade. The Geo-blocking regulation adopted by
18270-409: The commission. The two main parties took on a government-opposition dynamic for the first time during the crisis which ended in the Commission resigning en masse, the first of any forced resignation, in the face of an impending censure from the Parliament. The Parliament had always had the right to dismiss the European Commission in a vote of censure, but it initially had no role in its appointment. In
18444-482: The country level will enhance their measures and strategies to ensure sustainability and consumer protection (Krings, et al.). These increased measures will raise the environmental and social standards in the countries, factors that will determine the success of the e-commerce market in these countries. For example, an adoption of tough sanctions will make it difficult for companies to enter the e-commerce market while lenient sanctions will allow ease of companies. As such,
18618-461: The creation of a European cloud. In order for all these objectives to be achieved, it is essential that the first two pillars are in place. The Parliament has played a key role in the restarting of the internal market, and is an ardent advocate and agenda setter for the DSM. Before the launch of the Digital Single Market Strategy (DSMS) in May 2015, the Parliament had already been adopting resolutions on
18792-643: The development of e-commerce, along with some developments which raised concerns, such as increased use of selective distribution systems, which allow manufacturers to control routes to market, and "increased use of contractual restrictions to better control product distribution". The European Commission felt that some emerging practices might be justified if they could improve the quality of product distribution, but "others may unduly prevent consumers from benefiting from greater product choice and lower prices in e-commerce and therefore warrant Commission action" in order to promote compliance with EU competition rules . In
18966-465: The digital sector is still constrained into national territories and this is another reason for the delay of the European Union in the digital sector. Indeed, the development of digital is very heterogeneous in the European Union. This heterogeneity is due to the presence of different economic developments but also to the different development of each country in the digital era, which leads to different catching up movements for each state. And we can classify
19140-444: The directly elected MEPs, in spite of their multitude of ideological, national and historical allegiances, have started to coalesce as a serious and effective EU institution, just as enlargement has greatly complicated negotiations inside both the Council and Commission. In 2007, for the first time, Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini included Parliament in talks on the second Schengen Information System even though, in this field at
19314-468: The electronic buying or selling products and services which are conducted on online platforms or over the Internet . E-commerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce , electronic funds transfer , supply chain management , Internet marketing , online transaction processing , electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems , and automated data collection systems. E-commerce
19488-609: The eleventh session of the tenth NPC Standing Committee adopted an Electronic Signature Law, which regulates data message, electronic signature authentication and legal liability issues. It is considered the first law in China's e-commerce legislation. It was a milestone in the course of improving China's electronic commerce legislation, and also marks the entering of China's rapid development stage for electronic commerce legislation. E-commerce has become an important tool for small and large businesses worldwide, not only to sell to customers, but also to engage them. Cross-border e-Commerce
19662-445: The elimination of roaming charges and the prohibition of unjustified geo-blocking operations to the adoption of a directive on actions to "reduce the cost of deploying high-speed electronic communications networks" or a directive on "copyright and related rights in the Digital Single Market". According to the EP, the legislative achievements of the institution in the DSM area are supplying 177 billion euro every year to economic growth in
19836-580: The enterprises' total revenue. Almost a quarter (24%) of the country's total turnover is generated via the online channel. The rate of growth of the number of internet users in the Arab countries has been rapid – 13.1% in 2015. A significant portion of the e-commerce market in the Middle East comprises people in the 30–34 year age group. Egypt has the largest number of internet users in the region, followed by Saudi Arabia and Morocco; these constitute 3/4th of
20010-432: The entire budget (before 2009, its influence was limited to certain areas) on an equal footing to the Council. If there is a disagreement between them, it is taken to a conciliation committee as it is for legislative proposals. If the joint conciliation text is not approved by the Council, the Parliament may adopt the budget definitively, but only by a three-fifths majority. The Parliament is also responsible for discharging
20184-474: The first half of 2015, accounting for 10% of total Chinese consumer retail sales in that period. The Chinese retailers have been able to help consumers feel more comfortable shopping online. e-commerce transactions between China and other countries increased 32% to 2.3 trillion yuan ($ 375.8 billion) in 2012 and accounted for 9.6% of China's total international trade. In 2013, Alibaba had an e-commerce market share of 80% in China. In 2014, Alibaba still dominated
20358-408: The first time since 1994 . The voting age is 18 in all EU member states except for Malta , Belgium , Austria and Germany , where it is 16, and Greece , where it is 17. The European Parliament has legislative power in that the adoption of EU legislation normally requires its approval, and that of the Council, in what amounts to a bicameral legislature. However, it does not formally possess
20532-519: The fiscal aspects of environmental policy. In these areas, the Council or Parliament decide law alone after consulting the other (or with its consent). There are different types of European Union law#Legislation . The strongest act is a regulation , an act or law which is directly applicable in its entirety. Then there are directives which bind member states to certain goals which they must achieve. They do this through their own laws and hence have room to manoeuvre in deciding upon them. A decision
20706-452: The free movement of people, services and capital and allowing individuals and businesses to seamlessly access and engage in online activities irrespective of their nationality or place of residence. Fair competition conditions and a high level of protection of personal and consumer data are applied. Building a data economy, boosting competitiveness through interoperability and standardisation, and creating an inclusive e-society can realise
20880-489: The functioning of the EU. For example, in 1984, inspired by its previous work on the Political Community, it drafted the "draft Treaty establishing the European Union" (also known as the 'Spinelli Plan' after its rapporteur Altiero Spinelli MEP). Although it was not adopted, many ideas were later taken up in other treaties. Furthermore, the Parliament began holding votes on proposed Commission Presidents from
21054-522: The future of employment: beyond its impact on certain professions, the digital economy is structurally modifying the distribution of jobs and putting an end to a long trend of expansion of salaried employment, posing new challenges to labor law and social protection. Moreover, the creation of the digital single market raises the question of certain large companies, particularly the GAFAMs . Indeed, having become too powerful, they are more and more considered as
21228-463: The future trends between GCC countries and the Western countries will be independent of these sanctions (Krings, et al.). These countries need to make rational conclusions in coming up with effective sanctions. India has an Internet user base of about 460 million as of December 2017. Despite being the third largest user base in the world, the penetration of the Internet is low compared to markets like
21402-442: The gatekeeper's platform, to prevent consumers from linking up to businesses outside their platforms, to prevent users from uninstalling any pre-installed software or app if they wish so". In terms of subsidiarity principle of the European Union the DSA and DMA are both going to be the objectives of supranational level.The reason for that is that: "the problems are of a cross-border nature, and not limited to single Member States or to
21576-463: The general economic indicators. "Consequently, the impact of the intervention will be assessed in the context of an evaluation exercise and activate, if so required, a review clause, which will allow the Commission to take appropriate measures, including legislative proposals. Member States are also supposed to provide any relevant information they have that the Commission may require for the evaluation purposes". Though DSA and DMA are still proposals of
21750-510: The greatest smartphone penetration of 73.8 per cent and has 91.9 per cent of its population has access to the internet. On the other hand, smartphone penetration in Europe has been reported to be at 64.7 per cent (The Statistics Portal). Regardless, the disparity in percentage between these regions is expected to level out in future because e-commerce technology is expected to grow to allow for more users. The e-commerce business within these two regions will result in competition. Government bodies at
21924-452: The growing significance of online intermediary platforms. Moreover, "online intermediary platforms function as two-sided markets: the more suppliers that use a certain platform, the more attractive it becomes for customers; the more customers use a certain platform, the more attractive it becomes for suppliers". For Françoise Benhamou the characteristics of the two-sided markets make it harder to regulate because an intervention on one side of
22098-447: The growth potential of the digital economy. According to the commission, investment, the acknowledgement of international dimension, and effective governance are required for the advancing of the Digital Single Market. A fully operational Digital Single Market could bring a contribution of 415 billion euros per year to the economy and it would also create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. The Digital Single Market Strategy includes
22272-541: The identity of the responsible trader, information can be requested from domain registrars and banks. Moreover, they can check geographical discrimination or after-sales conditions by carrying out mystery shopping and then can order the immediate take-down of websites hosting scams. In its mid-term evaluation of the Digital Single Market Strategy, the Commission declared that it would present actions on unfair contracts and trading practices in platform-to-business relations. The origin of this P2B regulation can notably be found in
22446-507: The implementation of previous budgets based on the annual report of the European Court of Auditors . It has refused to grant discharge only twice, in 1984 and in 1998. On the latter occasion it led to the resignation of the Santer Commission ; highlighting how the discharge power gives Parliament a great deal of power over the Commission. Parliament also makes extensive use of its budgetary, and other powers, elsewhere; for example in
22620-640: The incomes or rural people and entrepreneurship in rural China, Taobao villages have become a component of rural revitalization strategies. In 2015, the State Council promoted the Internet Plus initiative, a five-year plan to integrate traditional manufacturing and service industries with big data, cloud computing, and Internet of things technology. The State Council provided support for Internet Plus through policy support in area including cross-border e-commerce and rural e-commerce. In 2019,
22794-435: The institution such as more speaking time for rapporteurs, increased committee co-operation and other efficiency reforms. The Lisbon Treaty came into force on 1 December 2009, granting Parliament powers over the entire EU budget , making Parliament's legislative powers equal to the Council's in nearly all areas and describing Parliament's vote on an incoming Commission President Commission President as an "election", with
22968-459: The internet to exchange financial data to facilitate domestic and international business. Data integrity and security are pressing issues for electronic commerce. Aside from traditional e-commerce, the terms m-Commerce ( mobile commerce ) as well (around 2013) t-Commerce have also been used. In the United States, California's Electronic Commerce Act (1984), enacted by the Legislature,
23142-536: The issue of a uniform voting systems to be decided at a later date. For its sessions the assembly, and later the parliament, until 1999 convened in the same premises as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe : the House of Europe until 1977, and the Palace of Europe until 1999. In 1979, its members were directly elected for the first time . This sets it apart from similar institutions such as those of
23316-585: The largest political party (the EPP). The Parliament approved him by 431 votes to 251. However, when it came to the vote on the Commission as a whole, MEPs raised doubts about some of the nominees following their performance in the public hearings of them conducted by Parliament's committees. Most notably, the Civil Liberties committee rejected Rocco Buttiglione for the post of Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security over his views on homosexuality. That
23490-425: The local firms and consumers have adopted to e-commerce. However, e-commerce lacks human interaction for customers, especially who prefer face-to-face connection. Customers are also concerned with the security of online transactions and tend to remain loyal to well-known retailers. In recent years, clothing retailers such as Tommy Hilfiger have started adding Virtual Fit platforms to their e-commerce sites to reduce
23664-511: The manufacturer. The pricing strategies are also different for traditional and online retailers. Traditional retailers base their prices on store traffic and the cost to keep inventory. Online retailers base prices on the speed of delivery. There are two ways for marketers to conduct business through e-commerce: fully online or online along with a brick and mortar store. Online marketers can offer lower prices, greater product selection, and high efficiency rates. Many customers prefer online markets if
23838-461: The market by 2017. For traditional businesses, one research stated that information technology and cross-border e-commerce is a good opportunity for the rapid development and growth of enterprises. Many companies have invested an enormous volume of investment in mobile applications. The DeLone and McLean Model stated that three perspectives contribute to a successful e-business: information system quality, service quality and users' satisfaction. There
24012-412: The market can create non-desired or counterproductive effects on the other side of the market. This two-sided market aspect creates a concentration of supply and demand on a restricted number of online intermediary platforms and because a large part of B2C transactions is taking place on those platforms, "it becomes very important for traders to have access to such a platform and as such, it places them in
24186-424: The market power of the digital giants, there will be established particular rules for the routine procedures. "For instance, the gatekeepers are supposed to allow third parties to inter-operate with the gatekeeper's own services in certain specific situations, allow their business users to access the data that they generate in their use of the gatekeeper's platform, provide companies advertising on their platform with
24360-843: The more recent California Privacy Rights Act (2020), enacted through a popular election proposition and to control specifically how electronic commerce may be conducted in California. In the US in its entirety, electronic commerce activities are regulated more broadly by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). These activities include the use of commercial e-mails, online advertising and consumer privacy . The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 establishes national standards for direct marketing over e-mail. The Federal Trade Commission Act regulates all forms of advertising, including online advertising, and states that advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive. Using its authority under Section 5 of
24534-571: The most important measure concerning the revision of the directive on privacy and electronic communications is barely underway. The first objective of this pillar is to foster the digital switchover of industry and services in all economic sectors in Europe. It will also be necessary to stimulate investment through strategic partnerships and networks. The second objective will be access to data and capital. This needs to be in place in order to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth. The third objective will be around data protection, free movement of data and
24708-474: The most of any country. Research shows that Chinese consumer motivations are different enough from Western audiences to require unique e-commerce app designs instead of simply porting Western apps into the Chinese market. The expansion of e-commerce in China has resulted in the development of Taobao villages , clusters of e-commerce businesses operating in rural areas. Because Taobao villages have increased
24882-457: The national legislatures of the member states 85% of initiatives introduced without executive support fail to become law. Yet it has been argued by former Parliament president Hans-Gert Pöttering that as the Parliament does have the right to ask the Commission to draft such legislation, and as the Commission is following Parliament's proposals more and more Parliament does have a de facto right of legislative initiative. The Parliament also has
25056-435: The objective of achieving 16 measures. It will attempt to implement better access for consumers (individuals and businesses) to the digital world across Europe. The first objective of this first pillar will involve a number of legislative proposals. They will regulate cross-border markets in order to reduce the differences between Member States and also to allow for a "harmonisation of the different VAT regimes". Indeed, there
25230-451: The one hand, it implies increased documentation. General conditions of sale of the affected parcel delivery companies and a detailed description of their complaints procedure have to be submitted to the national regulator. On the other hand, it is about improved price transparency. Indeed, each individual national regulator has to publish the public list of tariffs and the terminal rates applicable to items originating from other Member States on
25404-409: The opportunity to misuse their position on the market while the Digital Services Act is more focused on the consumer protection issue. "The Digital Services Act (DSA) includes rules for online intermediary services, which millions of Europeans use every day. The obligations of different online players match their role, size and impact in the online ecosystem.The Digital Markets Act (DMA) establishes
25578-407: The other institutions, the Parliament's seat was not yet fixed. The provisional arrangements placed Parliament in Strasbourg , while the Commission and Council had their seats in Brussels. In 1985 the Parliament, wishing to be closer to these institutions, built a second chamber in Brussels and moved some of its work there despite protests from some states. A final agreement was eventually reached by
25752-407: The overall internet audience from the regions. Yuldashev writes that consumers are scaling up to more modern technology that allows for mobile marketing. However, the percentage of smartphone and internet users who make online purchases is expected to vary in the first few years. It will be independent on the willingness of the people to adopt this new trend (The Statistics Portal). For example, UAE has
25926-433: The parcel delivery legislation was positive but the problems related to transparency on costs are not truly tackled. Another example is regarding geo-blocking. Indeed, although "unjustified geo-blocking" is prohibited, small businesses are forced to commit to sell to a larger market while abiding costs this may incur depending on the destination country in question. Finally, there is a one-stop shop for VAT registration, which
26100-413: The possibility to check whether sites use geographical blocking. It will therefore be ensured that no consumers can be discriminated against on any basis. It will attempt to provide a favourable environment for the development of fair competition for the digital network and all developing environments. At the same time, the protection of personal data will be strengthened. The first objective of this pillar
26274-526: The power to set up a Committee of Inquiry, for example over mad cow disease or CIA detention flights – the former led to the creation of the European veterinary agency . The Parliament can call other institutions to answer questions and if necessary to take them to court if they break EU law or treaties. Furthermore, it has powers over the appointment of the members of the Court of Auditors and
26448-497: The powers of the Parliament, in terms of its role in the Union's legislative procedures , have expanded. The procedure which has slowly become dominant is the " ordinary legislative procedure " (previously named "codecision procedure"), which provides an equal footing between Parliament and Council. In particular, under the procedure, the Commission presents a proposal to Parliament and the Council which can only become law if both agree on
26622-425: The previous decline in turnout for the Parliament's elections. The Parliament also has the power to censure the Commission by a two-thirds majority which will force the resignation of the entire Commission from office. As with approval, this power has never been explicitly used, but when faced with such a vote, the Santer Commission then resigned of their own accord . There are other control instruments, such as:
26796-499: The products can be delivered quickly at relatively low price. However, online retailers cannot offer the physical experience that traditional retailers can. It can be difficult to judge the quality of a product without the physical experience, which may cause customers to experience product or seller uncertainty. Another issue regarding the online market is concerns about the security of online transactions. Many customers remain loyal to well-known retailers because of this issue. Security
26970-418: The public interest". A second objective will concern parcel delivery services throughout Europe. However, an exception to this proposal has been made in order not to impose a disproportionate burden on small businesses. They will not be obliged "to deliver throughout the European Union". The third objective will be to address problems of consumer discrimination. It is foreseen that national authorities will have
27144-518: The reasonable allocation of resources field. SMEs ( small and medium enterprises) can also precisely match the demand and supply in the market, having the industrial chain majorization and creating more revenues for companies. In 2012, e-commerce sales topped $ 1 trillion for the first time in history. Mobile devices are playing an increasing role in the mix of e-commerce, this is also commonly called mobile commerce, or m-commerce. In 2014, one estimate saw purchases made on mobile devices making up 25% of
27318-588: The region's share. Yet, internet penetration is low: 35% in Egypt and 65% in Saudi Arabia. The Gulf Cooperation Council countries have a rapidly growing market and are characterized by a population that becomes wealthier (Yuldashev). As such, retailers have launched Arabic-language websites as a means to target this population. Secondly, there are predictions of increased mobile purchases and an expanding internet audience (Yuldashev). The growth and development of
27492-479: The requirement of Commission to submit reports to the Parliament and answer written and oral questions from MEPs; the requirement of the President-in-office of the Council to present its programme at the start of their presidency ; the obligation on the President of the European Council to report to Parliament after each of its meetings; the right of MEPs to make requests for legislation and policy to
27666-665: The risk of customers buying the wrong sized clothes, although these vary greatly in their fit for purpose. When the customer regret the purchase of a product, it involves returning goods and refunding process. This process is inconvenient as customers need to pack and post the goods. If the products are expensive, large or fragile, it refers to safety issues. In 2018, E-commerce generated 1.3 million short tons (1.2 megatonnes) of container cardboard in North America, an increase from 1.1 million (1.00)) in 2017. Only 35 percent of North American cardboard manufacturing capacity
27840-534: The second-largest democratic electorate in the world (after the Parliament of India ), with an electorate of around 375 million eligible voters in 2024. Since 1979, the Parliament has been directly elected every five years by the citizens of the European Union through universal suffrage . Voter turnout in parliamentary elections decreased each time after 1979 until 2019 , when voter turnout increased by eight percentage points, and rose above 50% for
28014-470: The setting up of the European External Action Service , Parliament had a de facto veto over its design as it has to approve the budgetary and staff changes. The President of the European Commission is proposed by the European Council on the basis of the European elections to Parliament. That proposal has to be approved by the Parliament (by a majority of members of the Parliament) who thereby "elect"
28188-530: The term "representatives of the people". Its early importance was highlighted when the Assembly was given the task of drawing up the draft treaty to establish a European Political Community . By this document, the Ad Hoc Assembly was established on 13 September 1952 with extra members, but after the failure of the negotiated and proposed European Defence Community (French parliament veto), the project
28362-492: The three flows (physical flow, financial flow and information flow) of the supply chain could be also affected by e-commerce. The affections on physical flows improved the way of product and inventory movement level for companies. For the information flows, e-commerce optimized the capacity of information processing than companies used to have, and for the financial flows, e-commerce allows companies to have more efficient payment and settlement solutions. In addition, e-commerce has
28536-406: The time, MEPs only needed to be consulted on parts of the package. After that experiment, Frattini indicated he would like to include Parliament in all justice and criminal matters, informally pre-empting the new powers they were due to gain in 2009 as part of the Treaty of Lisbon . Between 2007 and 2009, a special working group on parliamentary reform implemented a series of changes to modernise
28710-469: The tools and information necessary for advertisers and publishers to carry out their own independent verification of their advertisements hosted by the gatekeeper, allow their business users to promote their offer and conclude contracts with their customers outside the gatekeeper's platform. The gatekeepers are not permitted to treat services and products offered by the gatekeeper itself more favourably than similar services or products offered by third parties on
28884-521: The two aspects make the GCC countries become larger players in the electronic commerce market with time progress. Specifically, research shows that the e-commerce market is expected to grow to over $ 20 billion by 2020 among these GCC countries (Yuldashev). The e-commerce market has also gained much popularity among western countries, and in particular Europe and the U.S. These countries have been highly characterized by consumer-packaged goods (CPG) (Geisler, 34). However, trends show that there are future signs of
29058-530: The wages welfare. On the other hand, because e-commerce requires sufficient stocks that could be delivered to customers in time, the warehouse becomes an important element. Warehouse needs more staff to manage, supervise and organize, thus the condition of warehouse environment will be concerned by employees. E-commerce brings convenience for customers as they do not have to leave home and only need to browse websites online, especially for buying products which are not sold in nearby shops. It could help customers buy
29232-479: The whole budget in 1975. Under the Rome Treaties, the Parliament should have become elected. However, the Council was required to agree a uniform voting system beforehand, which it failed to do. The Parliament threatened to take the Council to the European Court of Justice ; this led to a compromise whereby the Council would agree to elections, but with each Member State using its own electoral system, leaving
29406-454: The willingness notably to develop mobility services and international dimension of this market. However, in 2015, the international dimension of the digital single market was not well defined in the strategy of the Commission concerning the digital single market. The part of international dimension on the digital single market was short, and only contained the willingness of the EU to encourage its trading partners to expand their markets and deploy
29580-784: Was dropped. Instead, the European Economic Community and Euratom were established in 1958 by the Treaties of Rome . The Common Assembly was shared by all three communities (which had separate executives) and it renamed itself the European Parliamentary Assembly . The first meeting was held on 19 March 1958 having been set up in Luxembourg City, it elected Schuman as its president and on 13 May it rearranged itself to sit according to political ideology rather than nationality. This
29754-547: Was forced to step down by Parliament due to concerns over her experience and financial interests. She only had the support of the EPP which began to retaliate on left wing candidates before Jeleva gave in and was replaced (setting back the final vote further). Before the final vote on the Commission, Parliament demanded a number of concessions as part of a future working agreement under the new Lisbon Treaty. The deal includes that Parliament's president will attend high level Commission meetings. Parliament will have an observer seat in
29928-428: Was formed in 1991 from an informal network of government customer fair trade organisations. The purpose was stated as being to find ways of co-operating on tackling consumer problems connected with cross-border transactions in both goods and services, and to help ensure exchanges of information among the participants for mutual benefit and understanding. From this came Econsumer.gov, an ICPEN initiative since April 2001. It
30102-502: Was necessary to reform a series of European regulations, especially in the field of telecommunications, but also in terms of cybersecurity and everything that concerns audiovisual media services. The third objective is to enable the market to adapt to changes in its environment. As the market is based on a sharing economy, it must adapt its functioning to this. The construction of this pillar is already well underway, particularly with regard to cybersecurity and telecommunications. However,
30276-494: Was the first time the Parliament had ever opposed an incoming Commissioner and, despite Barroso's initial insistence upon Buttiglione, the Parliament forced Buttiglione to be withdrawn. A number of other Commissioners also had to be withdrawn or reassigned before Parliament voted to allow the Barroso Commission to take office. The Parliament also became more assertive in amending legislative proposals put forward by
#16983