27/02/2018 (Agence Europe) – The regulation on ending unfair geo-blocking has officially been adopted. Following on from Parliament at the beginning of February, it was the Council that gave its formal approval on Tuesday 27 February to the final text. In practice, the new rules make it compulsory for traders to make their goods and services accessible to all EU consumers, without discrimination in terms of prices, sales or payment conditions. It prohibits all discrimination based on nationality, place of residency or the place where customers are based. The only derogations possible are those linked to objective reasons, such as VAT or certain legal provisions pertaining to public interest. The final text will be published in the EU Official Journal before the end of March this year and will enter into force nine months after its publication. (SPj)