EU button to free online trade

Published on 23 September 2010 at 10:26

As much as 61 percent of online store offers are not available to customers in other EU countries due to differences in consumer laws between the member states, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna reports. “We get complaints from customers who cannot buy goods in EU online shops due to copyright restrictions and product safety standards,” Małgorzata Furmańska, a lawyer with the European Consumer Centre, has told the daily. On Thursday, the Polish Justice Ministry and Commission representatives will present a plan to amend the situation. Beginning 2012, online shops will be expected to introduce a EU “'Blue Button”. By clicking on it, consumers will be able to purchase under European Common Frame of Reference(CFR) laws rather than under national consumer legislation. “The Blue Button is another step towards a single market from the perspective of consumers and small and medium-size companies,” believes Polish Justice Minister Krzysztof Kwiatkowski.

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