Brussels, 06/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - In an own initiative report adopted by a substantial majority (562 to 9 with 10 abstentions), the European Parliament is calling for greater security on the internet, simplified rules and special measures for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
More than half of EU citizens have access to the internet and one in three makes purchases online but only 30 million buy things from other countries in the EU. Lack of trust in the security and safety of transactions and payments “constitutes the most important danger for the future of e-commerce,” notes a report by Giorgos Papastamkos (EPP-ED, Greece), who calls on the European Commission to “create mechanisms for strengthening businesses' and individuals' trust in international electronic payment systems, as well as establishing suitable means for resolving disputes related to illegal commercial practices.” Illegal behaviour like counterfeiting, piracy, fraud, breach of transaction security and violation of citizens' privacy existed before the internet, but these activities have been both “facilitated and exacerbated” by internet technology. The MEPs therefore suggest that special measures should be taken to combat illegal online behaviour, particularly in respect of cases liable to involve serious public health risks, like bogus medicines. The MEPs believe that the regulatory deficiencies in the EU online market are hindering the development of a stable, strong EU online industrial and commercial environment, and deplore the regulatory provisions allowing or requiring geographical market partitioning, high internet access charges and limits on the availability of delivery options in the EU. They urge the European Commission to improve the legal interoperability of e-commerce and want the Commission to develop a compressive strategy for removing the barriers to e-commerce still affecting SMEs (access to IT and communications, the cost of developing and maintaining e-business systems, lack of trust, lack of information, etc) and to draw up policy recommendations offering incentives to inexperienced SMEs wanting to get into online trading. The MEPs called for a comparative economic analysis of the benefits of e-commerce and online advertising for SMEs to be carried out, and a detailed analysis of the influence of online trade upon conventional trading patterns and activities. MEPs believe that the participation of the least developed and other developing counties in international trade through the internet has to be supported through increased investment primarily in basic infrastructure like telecoms networks and access devices. (I.L./transl.fl)