The Communication was based on a broad public consultation on issues central to on-line services and e-commerce,
In order to best tackle obstacles to the development of digital services, the Communication and the accompanying Staff Working Document set out 5 broad priorities:
and services-Improve operator information and consumer protection-Ensure reliable and efficient payment and delivery systems-Combat abuse
3. STATE OF PLAY OF THE ACTION PLAN ONE YEAR AFTER ADOPTION 3. 1 Develop legal rules on cross-border offers of online products and services Main action 1:
The Commission services started a comprehensive review process of the CPC Regulation in 2012. The review examines, among other issues,
In 2012 the Commission services commissioned an in depth study concerning the compliance of national legislation
and Member States and the Commission services, discussing problems in the application of the directive and emerging issues in the area of e-commerce. 10 http://ec. europa. eu/consumers/enforcement/docs/cpc regulation inception report revised290212 en
Guidelines on Article 20 of the services directive According to Article 20 (2) of the Services Directive11, consumers should generally not be faced with differences of treatment due to their nationality or residence.
and therefore the non-discrimination clause always requires a case-by-case analysis. This article of the Services Directive is particularly-but not exclusively-relevant in the context of cross border e-commerce.
the Commission adopted a Communication on the implementation of the Services Directive: A partnership for new growth in services 2012-2015 12 accompanied by a Staff Working Document13 with a view to establishing guidance on the application of Article 20 (2) of the Services Directive
which enshrines the principle of non-discrimination of service recipients on the basis of nationality or country of residence.
or refusal to provide services including those related to online transactions. It also explains when differences in treatment or refusal to provide a service may
Commission services planning to focus on the sectors which generate the highest number of consumers'complaints, namely tourism, on-line retail and digital downloads.
in particular by means of a legislative initiative on private copying (2013) and the review of the Directive on 11 Directive 2006/123/EC of 12 december 2006 on services in the internal market http://eurlex
PDF 12 COM (2012) 261 final http://ec. europa. eu/internal market/services/services-dir/implementation report en. htm 13 Commission Staff Working
Document with a view to establishing guidance on the application of Article 20 (2) of Directive 2006/123/EC on services in the internal market http://ec. europa. eu/internal market/services
/docs/services-dir/implementation/report/SWD 2012 146 EN. pdf 5 copyright in the information society (2012. The Commission will also report on the outcome of the consultation on the online distribution of audiovisual works and on the implications of the"Premier League"ruling in the field of digital content.
Commission services have been working intensely towards the implementation of the Communication on a Single Market for Intellectual Property rights across all its various areas.
cross-border access and the portability of services; user-generated content and licensing for small-scale users of protected material;
The Commission services organised a CEO-level meeting on 26 june 2012 in order to tackle issues related to the e-book market
The Commission services continuously monitor the effect and application of its competition rules, including with regard to the use of selective distribution systems in the online world.
the Commission services will continue and strengthen their discussions within the ECN on online sales issues and possible trends,
demanding payments for goods or services that are of no value to the contractor, unilateral or retroactive changes of contract terms,
as well as payments for fictitious services and preventing contractors from sourcing from other Member States thus leading to territorial partitioning of the Single Market.
The three-month long consultation will help the Commission services to assess the magnitude of the unfair trading practices issue
In December 2011, the Body of European Regulators for Electronic communications (BEREC), jointly with the Commission services, launched a Europe-wide data 21 For further info see IP/12/1367 http://europa
On 29 may 2012, BEREC transmitted a report with the final results of the questionnaire on traffic management practices to the Commission services
Such restrictions affect access to several legal services that use P2p technology and often seem to be implemented to restrict competition, for instance in the voice market.
Moreover, a recent Commission in depth market study on internet services provision from a consumer perspective showed that very little information was provided to consumers on internet providers'websites on issues such as blocking/slowing down of services
Following BEREC's work in this field, the Commission services launched a public consultation on"specific aspects of transparency, traffic management and switching in an Open Internet"on between 23 july and 15 october 2012.
The Commission services are currently working on guidance that will include measures related to transparency switching and the responsible use of traffic management tools.
and services should be subject to the same VAT rate and progress in technology should be taken into account in this respect,
the Commission services launched on 8 october 2012 a public consultation for a review of the existing legislation on reduced VAT rates25.
and services should be treated for VAT purposes, taking into account technological developments. The consultation ended on 4 january 2013.
and services based on PSI reuse. The proposal for the revision of the Public sector Information (PSI) Directive29 was published on 12 december 2011.
It seeks to provide an updated legal framework 26 Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 282/2011 as regards the special schemes for non-established taxable persons supplying telecommunications services. http
as regards special schemes for non established taxable persons supplying telecommunications, broadcasting or electronic services to non taxable persons (OJ L 249,14. 9. 2012
and defective products and services) and contains guidelines for on-line retailers. In 2012, ECCS received more than 32,000 complaints, 60%of which related to a purchase on the internet31.
Furthermore, the Commission services together with stakeholders took stock of practices made to improve retailers's awareness of their duties,
good practice guides and guidelines giving consumers access to transparent and reliable information and allowing easier comparison of the prices, quality and durability of goods and services (2013-2014). 30
map best practices in the comparison of products and services across different sectors and identify potential areas of improvement.
) 225 final. COM (2012) 225 final. http://ec. europa. eu/consumers/strategy/index en. htm#agenda 13 comparison of products and services, including through comparison
the assessment of the market performance of online gambling services; the extension of the scope of the anti-money laundering directive and the promotion of international cooperation for the prevention of match-fixing.
which 37 Commission Communication Towards a comprehensive European framework for online gambling COM (2012) 596 final http://ec. europa. eu/internal market/services/gambling en. htm
The Commission services will now start the preparation for the implementing act as foreseen in the Directive.
or services online, including about the functionality and interoperability of digital content. The new Directive furthermore bans pre-ticked boxes when offering additional services,
internet cost traps and charges of which the consumer was informed not in advance. The further harmonisation of the rules on distance contracts provided in the Directive means a single set of core rules across the EU that will not only promote consumers'trust
On 4 june 2012, the Commission adopted a proposal on a regulation on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market44.
and mutual recognition to trust services including enhancing current rules on e-signatures and providing a legal framework for electronic seals, electronic time stamps, electronic document acceptability, electronic delivery
(ii) making sure that these payment services are transparent for consumers and sellers,(iii) improving and accelerating the standardisation and interoperability of payments by card, internet or mobile phone,
More choice and transparency in payment services for consumers and merchants. More payment service innovation and security.
The Single Market Act II announced that the Commission will propose a revision of the Payment Services Directive and a legislative proposal on multilateral interchange fees (MIFS.
On the basis of the information collected, the Commission services are currently working on identifying solutions to help improve cross-border parcel delivery, notably with regard to prices,"convenience"for customers,
According to that provision, online intermediaries providing"storage of information supplied by a recipient of the service"(hosting services such as social networks,
the Commission services are working on an impact assessment on notice-and-action procedures. Other actions:
and services which are infringing IPRS. An extensive consultation was carried out on the application of Directive 2004/48 on civil IPR enforcement in 2012 culminating with a conference on 26 june 2012.
the Commission services launched a survey to gather evidence to be used for a detailed and holistic evaluation of the efficiency of existing national IP civil enforcement systems,
The Commission services have gathered information and data as regards ADR systems for disputes between businesses (B2b ADR) via a SME-panel survey and a Eurobarometer survey.
The Commission services also met bilaterally with stakeholders. Main action 13: in 2012, propose an overall strategy on internet security in Europe aimed at better protection against cyber attacks in the EU. The establishment of the European Cybercrime Centre by 2013 will play a particularly important role in this.
the majority of which (some EUR 12.1 billion) is foreseen on e-services for the benefit of EU citizens and SMES.
Developing ICT products and services, e-commerce and enhancing demand for ICT and Strengthening ICT applications for e-government, e-learning,
The Commission services have taken a number of steps since the end of 2011. It launched public consultations on the problem definition and broad policy ideas related to costing and non-discrimination obligations for wholesale access products;
The Commission services have in addition, commissioned three independent studies. On 12 july 2012, the Commission announced the outlines of a regulatory package to give a new impetus to the rolling out of high speed broadband networks.
in order to stimulate the uptake of cloud-based services for the benefit of users and services providers alike.
The development of voluntary EU-wide certification schemes for trustworthy cloud services. Providers of cloud services should create certification schemes
which enable users to evaluate and compare, in a simple manner, the level of conformity with standards, interoperability and data portability.
and conditions is a way of encouraging the wide take up of cloud computing services by increasing consumer trust. 57 COM (2012) 529 http://ec. europa. eu/information society/activities/cloudcomputing/docs/com
and growth in the public sector. The European Cloud Partnership is driven an alliance by key IT services procurers from European public bodies in cooperation with CEOS of the IT and telecom industry.
The Decision contains a number of provisions fostering the availability of spectrum for wireless broadband services,
which are crucial for access to high-speed Internet services such as E-commerce services. As a first milestone of the RSPP implementation, the Commission adopted a Communication on the shared use of spectrum59 on 3 september 2012 to ensure additional flexibility in spectrum authorisation and usage as well as to foster innovation in wireless networks and services.
The RSPP aims at a target of 1200 MHZ available spectrum for wireless broadband by 2015
The 800 MHZ band is crucial for the economic roll out of nationwide wireless broadband services.
The Commission services are closely monitoring the deadlines for making this spectrum available and administrative procedures will be launched where appropriate.
and thereby the rollout and usage of high speed wireless communication networks and services. 4. CONCLUSION Many actions included in the action plan have been completed already,
in 2012, EUR 277bn goods and services were bought by consumers online, an 18%growth over the year before.
Greater diversity of the business offer including formats, product ranges and, increasingly, services; Significant development of digital commerce, including multi-channel and mobile;
or services offered are in compliance with EU-law; to make available information requirements in an understandable and sensible way;
and more competitive. 1. 6. Combat fraud and cybercrime. 1. 7. Freedom for a business to trade or not Art. 20 (2) Services Directive. 2. REMOVING BARRIERS TO E-COMMERCE 2
or not to trade Art 20.2 of Services Directive(#1. 7).-Help deliver affordable and reliable parcel delivery services(#2. 3). 2. MID-TERM ACTIONS (2016
To deliver good services and meet consumers'expectations retailers need to know their customers and their preferences.
and services they want to buy, their comparative prices and qualities, the merchants that are offering them,
e g. different VAT-levels, different levels of guarantees, services, delivery, payments (costs), etc. On the other hand, comparison websites should be clear about
This offers businesses a free way to show other potential consumers that they deliver high quality products and services.
the revisions to the Payment Services Directive must achieve three main goals in terms of promoting e-commerce:(
It should therefore adopt the Payments Services Directive II and the MIF Regulation to provide 1) easier market entry for new providers through access to banking infrastructures, 2) cross-border acquiring, 3) elimination of other anti-competitive
The EU should consider measures such as introduction of postcodes everywhere, centralised access to population data, address verification services, 3dsecure,
The Commission must continue to recognise that the‘Non-discrimination'principle in the Services Directive does not oblige businesses to deliver everywhere in the EU. To push for more cross-border sales,
and sell products and services for granted. A consumer walks into a store, can touch and feel what he/she wants,
and for additional questions or services you can ask the merchant. We immediately understand how to pay
32 4 Eco-innovate products and services...36 4. 1 Research and development...38 4. 2 Design...
develop new products, technologies or services, or improve production processes. The aim is to summarise key business issues,
and coaching services to SMES. This guide is one of many publications and information sources developed by the Eco-Innovation Observatory (EIO).
Incremental eco-innovation focuses on improving existing goods and services, whereas disruptive eco-innovation is about thinking outside of the box
and delivering new services, but it also encompasses reducing environmental impacts in the way products are designed,
but creating new services and introducing organisational changes are just as important. At its core, eco-innovation is about creating business models that are both competitive
and respect the environment by reducing resource intensity of products and services. Sustainable management of natural resources Tackling climate change Improving biodiversity and ecosystems Saving material and energy costs New products and services:
new markets New business models Enhancing quality of life Creating new and sustainable jobs Material security Resource justice economy environment society politics Figure 2:
and value propositions by reconsidering novel ways of delivering their services. Alternative approaches to delivering services (e g. functional sales) can both reduce resource intensity,
bring about new market opportunities and make business more resilient in the face of market trends, notably fluctuating commodity prices.
services and technologies are motivated by the opportunity to access new markets and customer segments. A clear incentive here is maintaining
anticipation of new standards Cost saving Material and energy cost savings due to efficiency gains Resilient business models Creating business models focussed on delivering services
and profits from sales of resource-efficient products and services Comply with and anticipate new regulations (
land and water Cause less pollution and waste Shift to selling services from products (i e. functional sales, including product leasing
services can meet their needs, perhaps even better. Consider concepts like leasing or sharing for your business.
Revisit your business model Measuring environmental performance Ecological rucksacks are the resource requirements of producing products or services.
For services, it is the sum of the shares of the rucksacks of the technical means (Service delivery machines) employed (for example, vehicles, buildings, etc.
or services in terms of their material or energy requirements. www. factor10-institute. org/terms. html The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems.
and delivery of waste treatment and transport lca. jrc. ec. europa. eu/lcainfohub/datasetarea. vm Guide to PAS 2050 How to assess the carbon footprint of goods and services shop
and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business. www. waterfootprint. org Eco-innovate!
and delivery of products and services. 3. 1 Waste and emissions Key challenges for your business Dealing with waste.
and quantity of materials are consumed throughout the lifecycle of our products and services? What measures can we take to reduce the use of materials, energy, water and other resources?
Substitute resource-intensive materials and products with new materials, products or services that also improve the functionality of the end product.
of functionally comparable goods or services. The Wuppertal Institute has developed a stepwise guide to how to perform MIPS. www. wupperinst. org/en/publications/entnd/index. html?
Sustainable supply chain management requires the management of environmental, social and economic impacts and the encouragement of good governance practices throughout the life-cycle of goods and services. 12 11 Council of Supply
and services and can take the form of a reuse, buy-back, or recycling programme.
recycling and remarketing Shields Environmental is based a UK company that provides support services to the telecommunication sector, mainly accompanying companies with environmental management solutions and recycling.
Procure eco-efficient products and services. According to the Carbon Disclosure Project, 39%of its members and 28%of their suppliers witnessed cost savings after introducing a sustainable procurement approach13.
adhesion to the company and its products and services. 13 See Accenture, 2012: www. accenture. com/us-en/outlook/Pages/outlookjournal-2012-why-sustainable-supply-chain-is-good-business. aspx Eco-innovate production processes Eco-innovate!
and services 38 eco-innovation observatory Eco-innovate products and services Key questions Does our company have the skills,
time and money to pursue relevant R&d? Who has the research and technical skills to undertake eco-innovative R&d internally or externally?
services and technologies may mean fundamental changes to existing designs, which may be costly in the short term but beneficial in the long term.
and services Map life-cycle environmental impacts of products, identify any material and energy use hotspots
toys etc. www. tecnaro. de Eco-innovate products and services Trulstech: biodegradable flame retardant The science behind natural fire protection known as the Molecular Heat Eater led to Swedish inventor Mats Nilsson founding Trulstech.
and services Eco-innovate! A guide to eco-innovation for SMES and business coaches. 42 eco-innovation observatory Eco-innovate products
and services Key questions What product design options are there to improve the environmental performance of products?
A guide to eco-innovation for SMES and business coaches. 43 eco-innovation observatory Business case for eco-innovation Identify the appropriate focal areas of ecodesign for your products and services.
and services Eco-innovate! A guide to eco-innovation for SMES and business coaches. 44 eco-innovation observatory What problems can arise in the distribution of the product to the customer?
and services How does the product system actually fulfil customer needs? Dematerialisation Shared use of the product Integration of functions Functional optimisation of product (components)
and services Quick wins Creative approaches and focused improvment strategies help identify potential design improvement.
A guide to eco-innovation for SMES and business coaches. 46 eco-innovation observatory Eco-innovate products and services Granta Design,
and services Eco-innovate! A guide to eco-innovation for SMES and business coaches. 48 eco-innovation observatory Eco-innovate products
and services Key challenges for your business Customers whether they are end consumers or buyers in business or government are increasingly integrating environmental and social considerations into purchasing decisions.
Market research may highlight important areas of environmental or social interest, improvement or concern related to existing or new eco-innovative products, services or technologies.
Today's customers buy greener products, services or technologies because they work better, save money or enhance health.
Awareness how do we raise awareness about products and services? Evaluation how do we help people evaluate greener value propositions?
Purchase how do customers purchase products and services? Delivery how do we deliver a greener value proposition to customers?
and services Eco-innovate! A guide to eco-innovation for SMES and business coaches. 50 eco-innovation observatory Eco-innovate products
and services Quick wins Determining the extent of customers and other stakeholders environmental awareness and understanding may help to reveal business opportunities or threats.
and services that have reduced a environmental impact. It is a voluntary label used following certification through independent compliance checks
and services Eco-innovate! A guide to eco-innovation for SMES and business coaches. 5 Get your eco-innovation idea off the ground 54 eco-innovation observatory Get your eco-innovation idea off the ground:
service or technology compared to competitive products and services? What are relative benefits of your product compared to competitive offers?
access services and financial partners and become visible internationally. www. europe-innova. eu/ecolink Examples of European projects on eco-innovation Eco-innovate!
It is also also building a European network of key collaborators with privileges such as the testing of all platform services,
offer of full platform services to their members and ambassador of the platform in their country. www. ecoweb-project. eu A number of INTERREG programmes and projects offer interesting good practices in eco-innovative solutions
Introductione-commerce has enabled consumers to access goods and services from all over Europe. As such, e-commerce has contributed significantly to the European economy in general and the success of the European Single Digital Market in particular.
and an equal level of implementation of rules on distant sales and services and enforcement thereof in all Member States.
and market neutral VAT treatment of e-commerce related services across the EU. The European union should move towards the establishment of
and Modernising VAT in the Digital Single Market for E-commerce POSITION PAPER 5 Under the current VAT system purchases of digital services and products online may end up being subjected to double taxation
on cross-border transport modes, delivery services and tracking services leads to inefficiencies and higher costs.
Ecommerce Europe thinks that the creation of such a right will discourage companies from implementing innovative services
which would be useful for age-dependent services such as online gambling or certain product markets (e g. alcohol, tobacco and medication).
and reward innovative behaviour among firms by choosing suppliers that use ICT to deliver improved services and better value for money.
For the purposes of the report, ICT is defined as IT hardware, software and services, and telecommunications equipment and services.
Part I of the report assesses the economic impact of ICT, and is primarily based on empirical research conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
laws governing the Internet, ICT skills of the workforce and quality of ICT supporting services.
Investing in ICT goods and services leads to capital deepening which in turn leads to increases in labour productivity.
and services. 2 ICT gross fixed capital formation in the EU totalled nearly €1. 9 trillion in 1995-2001,
production of ICT manufactured goods and services has made a large contribution to GDP growth, according to most studies.
Contribution of ICT-using services to aggregate labour productivity growth-0 50-0. 25 0. 00 0. 25 0. 50 0. 75 1
a breakthrough that enabled the growth of the region's highly competitive mobile services and equipment industry.
services, work processes and organisational structures. A clear example of the benefits of open competition can be seen in Europe's liberalisation of its telecoms markets
sector 23 Policies to promote competition in the ICT sector 35 Schemes to promote access to higher bandwidth services 34 Promotion of common technology standards 36 Availability of good
19 Schemes to promote access to higher bandwidth services 36 Promotion of common technology standards 32 Availability of good ICT education in primary and secondary schools 43 Other
these actions have resulted usually in significantly lower costs of telephony and data services for end-users,
enforced standards of network security as well as trust in payment systems, digital identities and digital contracts is vital to encourage more business leaders to offer ICT-enabled services,
We've highlighted the benefits that telecoms market liberalisation has brought to European businesses and consumers in the form of reduced costs and better services.
Fortunately, most have used this dominance to aggressively roll out digital subscriber line (DSL) The Economist Intelligence Unit 2004 25 Reaping the benefits of ICT Europe's productivity challenge broadband networks and services,
In the longer term, competition in the provision of broadband services must become entrenched to ensure that businesses
Csaba Csapodi, director-general in Hungary's Ministry of Informatics, stresses that connectivity and cost of IT systems as well as telecoms services remain barriers to productive ICT use in accession countries.
favouring those suppliers that use ICT to offer innovative services and better value for money.
this type of government procurement can help to aggregate demand for new products and services.
for example by offering e-health services, can do much to build awareness of ICT benefits among SMES and the broader public.
and many EU governments including a few accession countries have made considerable progress in bringing services online.
Integrating this and its various other services on one platform, in March 2003 the government launched the Citizen's IT Centre,
a portal designed to provide a onestop shop for existing and new services. The portal allows individuals
with the use and production of ICT goods and services. The year 1995 is also significant as the approximate time
A measure of the quality of ICT supporting services. Forecasts of average annual growth in GDP per head for 2004-08 are presented in Table 5. Forecast average EU-15
Productivity, ICT and Services: Europe and the United states, Research Memorandum GD-60, Groningen: Groningen Growth and Development Centre.
%respondents) Financial services 16 Telecoms, software and computer services 14 Professional services 12 Construction and real estate 8 Healthcare, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology 8 Automotive 4
which technologies become obsolete 21 Poor after-sales services from ICT vendors 16 Lack of incentives to foster innovation
bandwidth services 34 Availability of good ICT education in primary and secondary schools 33 Initiatives to encourage technology transfer from universities 29 Encouragement of foreign direct investment in ICT sector 23 Financing schemes for ICT-related investment 22
and Internet 41 Schemes to promote access to higher bandwidth services 36 Policies to promote competition in the ICT sector 34 Promotion of common technology standards 32 Development of e
or services are sold online?(%%respondents) 10-25%12 26-50%13 51-75%2 More than 75%4 Less than 10%69 42 The Economist Intelligence Unit 2004 Appendix C:
Enterprise resource planning 21 Technologies for knowledge capture and dissemination 21 Outsourcing of IT services 20 Supply chain integration 19 Online sales and marketing channels 14 What proportion of your ICT
and marketing channels 21 Enterprise resource planning 16 Outsourcing of IT services 14 On average how long does it take your company to achieve return on investment from ICT projects?(%
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