Brussels, 13/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 11 December, the European Parliament adopted - by 604 votes to 45 with 15 abstentions - the own initiative report of Pablo Arias Echevarria (EPP, Spain), recommending the improvement of the way the digital single market works. Although online shopping is growing exponentially and the internet is - by definition - borderless, only 7% of internet users have ever place a cross-border order within the EU, due to the fragmentation of the market. This is a situation which hinders competition to the detriment of consumers and which is putting a break on the growth and development of the online shopping sector. “In these times of crisis we cannot allow ourselves the luxury of having a fragmented market with 27 different sets of legislation on VAT, intellectual property rights and data protection amongst others”, the rapporteur states. The MEPs call for an action plan to allow small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to integrate the online shopping market more easily. They also call on the European Commission to develop a strategy to boost digital entrepreneurship, promote training for online traders, and encourage digital development programmes for SMEs. In addition, the recommendations call for a common secure framework for online payments and increased recourse to automatic translators - the language barrier being the main reason stated by consumers for not doing online shopping abroad. As far as intellectual property rights are concerned, the MEPs regret the lack of attractive legal offers and call on the Commission to propose new trade models conciliating the right to a fair remuneration for authors and artists with the respect of fundamental rights for consumers of having free access to internet content. (IL/transl.fl)