Putting limits on some practices of big tech companies. The European Commission (EC) is studying the inclusion of a black list of non-community platforms and new competition tools to address the problems of the digital market in the new Law on Digital Services , which will update the regulations approved in 2000. The package of measures, which is in public consultation until September, will be processed at the end of the year.
The objective is to adapt the e-commerce directive to the current digital context, which has undergone rapid expansion in recent years, although it promises to guarantee respect for the fundamental rights of consumers. The proposed measures include introducing mechanisms to “tackle competitive deficiencies ” in the market ” before they occur “, thus avoiding the entrenchment of monopolistic practices by the technological giants. EC sources have told ABC that one of the great challenges they face is “ending the opacity” of these companies that make it difficult for regulators to work.
The law, which must be debated in the European Parliament at the end of the year, will require that European countries that have a more attractive tax system such as Ireland, the tax headquarters of multinationals such as Facebook, “assume their responsibility to control platforms to protect the citizens »of the member countries of the European Union. From June 2 to September 8, a public consultation period is scheduled to express different points of view on aspects of the regulations before admission to parliamentary proceedings.
Although it is still under development, Brussels intends to create a black list of unfair practices that are not considered permissible and a series of remedies to apply them when it is considered that a platform can create a deficiency in the market. The legal framework for digital services has not changed since the adoption of the electronic commerce directive in 2000, which made it possible to harmonize the basic principles that allow the cross-border provision of services. Although it has created a strong digital ecosystem, the EC also acknowledges that abuses have occurred.
