Brussels, 24/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - On the eve of mandates being renewed, the wholesale and retail trade is trying to attract the attention of European decision makers to the sector's importance for the European economy. On Wednesday 23 April, the Eurocommerce, European Round Table and Independent Retail Europe associations presented a study conducted by Oxford University to European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht.
The study highlights the impact that the commercial sector has on employment because one European in ten - in other words, 29 million people - works in trade with a wide diversity of profiles, sometimes with substantial training. The sector generates a tenth of the EU's GDP, and the wholesale and retail trade essentially represents one business in four in the EU.
The wholesale and retail trade is notable for its diversity and ability to adapt, so as to respond to the demands of European consumers. More than others, the sector seems to be able to adapt its services according to the development of technology. Online trade and tracking packages are evidence of this, for example. The digital economy implies the whole transformation that the sector is currently going through, which suggests new business models, new trades with specific qualifications and more efficiency in general.
Highlighting the sector's weight in the European economy is also a nudge to European decision makers to put a brake on the trend of regulating these activities too much - activities which are subject to various laws in various areas, states a source within these associations. (MD)