New EU consumer protection rules aim to boost online, cross-border sales
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BRUSSELS, Belgium: The European Commission unveiled plans Thursday to overhaul EU consumer protection rules in an effort to increase confidence in online shopping and boost cross-border sales. The proposed changes address e-commerce, telesales, mail order shopping, doorstep selling, international sales and the travel industry. The aim is to harmonize rules across the 27-nation European Union while giving consumers more rights when shopping across borders. A lack of consumer confidence over issues such as product guarantees and return policies has largely confined online sales to within national borders. Only 6 percent of purchases over the Internet in the EU were for products or services from another country in 2006, partly because it is too difficult for customers and retailers to acquaint themselves with different rules in each country, the Commission said. An EU survey from last year showed 71 percent of customers believe it is more difficult to resolve complaints and guarantee issues and make returns when purchasing goods from a business in another EU nation. More : iht.com |