e-Commerce
Brussels praises Italy for fining Amazon €1.1 billion in antritrust case
The Italian antitrust body has slapped a €1.128 billion fine on Amazon after finding that the US giant holds a position of absolute dominance in the Italian e-commerce market, which has allowed it to favour its own logistics service. The European Commission has already praised Italy's move, while Amazon said it would appeal the decision
France orders removal of e-commerce giant Wish over safety concerns
The French government ordered on Wednesday (24 November) search engines and app stores to delist US e-commerce giant Wish on the grounds that the online retail platform was "flouting product safety regulations". EURACTIV France reports.
French MPs vote against free book deliveries, targeting Amazon
French MPs adopted a bill on the "book economy" on Wednesday (6 October) which provides a minimum price for the delivery of books. With the service no longer free of charge, the bill aims to put an end to a "distortion of competition" between US giant Amazon and booksellers. EURACTIV France reports.
No excuse to let illegal content flourish
Thriving digital markets have made our lives easier and supported our economies, but it is about time that we put an end to illegal content that both harms our consumers and businesses. Simon Kollerup is Denmark’s Minister for Industry, Business...
Digital Brief powered by Facebook: Nvidia seeks clearance, Germany’s conflicting views, DMA & DSA Council updates
Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. “We are working through the regulatory process and we look forward to engaging with the European Commission to address...
EU gives Google 2 months to improve hotel, flight search results
Alphabet unit Google has two months to improve the way it presents internet search results for flights and hotels and explain how it ranks these or face possible sanctions, the European Commission and EU consumer authorities said.
Digital Brief: ePrivacy derogation adopted, YouTube’s algorithm, killer acquisitions
Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. “This interim regulation ends uncertainty for companies. It does not end the danger to children. This is only a...
Digital Brief powered by Google: UK adequate, ePrivacy low priority, Germany’s high tech strategy
Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. “We are talking here about a fundamental right of EU citizens that we have a duty to protect. This...
EU digital agenda to foster trust in digital technologies, Vestager says
Europeans have low trust in technology and this might hamper the uptake of emerging technologies, the European Commission’s Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager has warned. “The development of digital technology holds the key to a large degree of our prosperity...
German business groups file complaint over Apple privacy settings
Germany's media, internet and advertising industries on Monday filed an antitrust complaint against Apple, alleging that new iPhone privacy settings represent a market abuse and a violation of competition law.
Amazon’s ‘business model poses serious problems’, says French socialist MP
In an opinion piece published on France Info last week, 120 politicians and trade union leaders called for "stopping Amazon's expansion". In an interview with EURACTIV France, parliament member Dominique Potier discussed the need to rethink society's approach to consumption.
Trust is crucial in unlocking power of data sharing, MEP says
Transport is turning increasingly to digitalisation to cut costs, boost services and reduce emissions. But the potential of data sharing, seen as a major opportunity and challenge in equal measure, needs to be unlocked. MEP Josianne Cutajar explained how the EU aims to do just that.
Schrems charts US surveillance pushback after ECJ ruling
Silicon Valley should seek to further distance itself from a culture of surveillance established by US law, Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems has said ahead of a key ruling on global data flows later this week.
Online platform regulation: French economy ministry gets up and running
While the European Commission presented its digital strategy last week, France's economy and finance ministry brought together around a hundred experts on Monday (24 February) in an attempt to sketch out ways of regulating online platforms. EURACTIV's partner La Tribune reports.
Should the EU embrace artificial intelligence, or fear it?
Advances in machine learning are progressing rapidly, and governments are struggling to keep up. The EU has emerged as the world’s regulator in this space, but some fear it's stifling European innovation.
We will ‘react as one’, EU tells US over French digital tax dispute
The European Commission wants to settle the latest trade dispute with the US over the French digital tax “amicably”, but warned that the bloc will “react as one” if Washington slaps tariffs on Paris.
Why the EU leads in digital regulation, but lags in digital innovation
In its efforts to harmonise the digital legislation of its 28 countries, the European Union has accidentally become the world’s digital regulator – while ceding ground to other digital innovators.
French minister eager to hold e-commerce platforms to account for VAT fraud
France's minister of public action and accounts, Gérald Darmanin, wants to reform VAT collection for e-commerce platforms. The French minister also wishes to draw inspiration from the EU's tax haven blacklist to establish a similar one for fraudulent platforms. EURACTIV's partner La Tribune reports.
Tech giants under pressure in the US
About twenty US states are worried about the monopolistic tendencies of tech giants, and are close to launching a joint antitrust investigation next month, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday (19 August). EURACTIV's partner La Tribune reports.
French investigation shines light on Amazon mass destruction of goods
The global e-commerce giant Amazon has been hit with claims that it has destroyed up to three million unsold products from French warehouses over the past year. The news comes a week after Amazon became the world's most valuable public company in terms of market value.
Updating copyright rules for news: There’s a better way
The EU Copyright directive should avoid making reforms that takes away publishers’ choices about how to distribute and make money with their content online, writes Richard Gingras.
Cryptoasset investors exposed to substantial risks, two EU reports find
Cryptoassets are dangerously unregulated and may give rise to criminal activities, according to two recent assessments published by the European Banking Authority (EBA) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).
MEPs back fair-play rules for platforms and operating systems
MEPs backed rules to force online platforms to be more transparent and fair to business clients on Thursday (6 December), with some members voicing frustration at the fact that operating systems are to be included in the scope of the regulation.