According to the European Commission, clearer information on the prices of parcel delivery services should help to increase consumer confidence in cross-border shopping and shipping. The new rules are part of the e-commerce package, a package of measures to allow consumers and companies to buy and sell products and services online more easily and confidently across the EU.
To enter into force, the draft rules agreed between the EP and Council negotiators in December 2017 will now need the endorsement of the Council of Ministers. If so, these rules will make parcel delivery service providers required to provide their tariffs for a predefined list of most used services. The Commission will publish the prices on a dedicated website to enable consumers and businesses to compare domestic and cross-border tariffs between member states and between providers and opt for the best deal. By contributing to healthy competition, the new regulation should encourage the reduction of unreasonable differences between tariffs.
According to the EU Commission, over two-thirds of consumers have given up on making online purchases, because they feel that cross-border delivery costs are too high. The cross-border parcel prices are on average 3 to 5 times higher than their domestic equivalents for all products, according to a 2015 study. While densely populated urban areas and high volume businesses attract competition in the parcel delivery sector, SMEs and individuals in remote areas face little choice and high prices.
The rules also empower national authorities to assess tariffs for cross-border parcel delivery services which are subject to universal service obligation but seem unreasonably high. They put a stronger emphasis on providing information to consumers making cross-border purchases on prices, cross-border delivery options and complaint handling policies.
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