DIGITAL AGENDA : NATIONAL LAWS A BARRIER TO CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE - STUDY.

The diversity of laws, regulations and practices across EU member states represents a barrier to the development of cross-border e-commerce, argues a study carried out by Accenture for the European Retail Round Table (ERRT), published on 17 January(1). The study is based on a survey of 146 retailers in seven EU member states and interviews of top executives in 14 member states.

"Many of the regulatory obstacles cited in the study do not specifically relate to the digital nature of e-commerce. They tend instead to be national regulations that affect all retailers, both traditional shops and online shops," explained ERTT head Dick Boer. "These differences become a real handicap and create uncertainty when a retailer sets up a cross-border e-commerce operation."

According to the study, 47% of the retailers surveyed consider that regulations on product returns have a major impact on the...