Platforms proposal strikes the right balance for retailers
EuroCommerce Director-General Christian Verschueren commented on the release today of the European Commission draft regulation on standards for transparent business relations between platforms and their business users:
“Online platforms are drivers of growth and innovation, enabling businesses and consumers to make the most of the opportunities provided by the digital economy. They are very often the easiest first step for small businesses who want to go online and benefit from exposure to a wider customer base without having to make a large investment in digital infrastructure. Any regulation on platforms therefore needs to be carefully balanced to encourage small merchants to go online with confidence of fair treatment, while avoiding unnecessary overregulation.“
Commission initiative important in harnessing Artificial Intelligence in Europe
EuroCommerce Director-General Christian Verschueren commented on the release today of the European Commission Communication on Artificial Intelligence (AI):
“Digital technology is changing how we live and consume goods and services. Artificial Intelligence will be a powerful tool in driving this forward into new areas, and creates huge potential for the development of the world economy. It will also raise profound policy questions. We support the Commission in taking a lead in identifying and highlighting the key issues and challenges of AI, many impacts of which are at this stage impossible to predict. We support its careful approach to examining these important implications.”
EU-Mexico trade agreement: important signal against protectionism
Read moreThe EU-Mexico Global Agreement concluded in principle at the weekend marked another important and welcome step in Europe’s leadership in advocating free trade. EuroCommerce Director-General Christian Verschueren said:
“The agreement reached between the EU and Mexico on an updated trade deal shows how EU trade policy can deliver real results, and how building bridges is better than building walls. This is a message I hope will also be heard in Washington ahead of negotiations on the update of NAFTA.”
Stop overregulation blocking retailers delivering value for consumers
Read moreIn an initial response to the Commission Communication: A European retail sector fit for the 21st century, published today, EuroCommerce Director General Christian Verschueren commented:
“We commend the Commission on its thorough work over recent years on one of the most important sectors of the European economy. It is excellent that the Commission has confirmed that overregulating retail works directly against the interests of consumers. As a sector considerably exposed to excessive, inappropriate, and sometimes discriminatory regulation in a number of countries, this is a message we have been pressing for many years. Retail is undergoing disruptive and massive change through digitalisation and changing consumer behaviour, and Member States need to look at how they can allow retailers, big and small, to deliver the service and value that consumers expect and deserve. The single market, both for goods and for services, still needs to work better for retail - and consumers: everyone in Europe stands to gain from this.”
"The Narratives"
EuroCommerce Narrative on Retail and Wholesale in a changing world…
The world is changing rapidly. Retailers and wholesalers have repeatedly shown how resilient and adaptive they are, and are moving ahead with embracing this change, providing value to customers, suppliers, and society at large. This great story is worth telling – both to the sector and to the wider world. And the story needs to say clearly what we want from the EU and from national governments to make our sector sustainably competitive.
Don’t let regulation get in the way of consumers buying more organic food
Read moreSpeaking today on the vote in the European Parliament on the EU Organic Production Regulation, EuroCommerce Director-General Christian Verschueren warned that the text agreed left some difficult questions unanswered while potentially hindering EU organic products reaching the consumer:
“Despite what some people have said, consumer confidence in organic foods and demand for them has increased significantly, with sales continuing to boom – growing 12% and reaching over 30 billion euros. Retailers already struggle to source sufficient supplies of quality organic produce to meet consumers’ demand. We are glad that there is finally agreement on a text, but worry that it only answers part of the question and imposes controls on retailers and wholesalers which will deter, rather than increase the offer of organic produce, while doing little to improve public confidence.”
Charging stations: retailers support reasonable compromise
Read moreSpeaking today as the European Parliament votes on the Directive for Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD), EuroCommerce Director-General Christian Verschueren pressed MEPs to keep to the compromise reached on charging stations for electric vehicles:
“We very much hope that the European Parliament will vote to adopt what is now a practicable compromise on charging stations. Our leading retailers have already been active in providing recharging points for electric cars, and are ready to invest to meet the real needs of customers in the electrification of mobility.”