PSD deputy raises online shopping geoblocking with Brussels
Azores GuidePaulo Moniz said residents of the Azores and Madeira should be able to use the European market on equal terms, without online shopping discrimination.
PSD deputy Paulo Moniz raised continuing cases of online-shopping geoblocking affecting Azorean consumers with European Commissioner Michael McGrath at the EU Democracy Forum on 1 October. Moniz, elected to the Assembly of the Republic by the Azores electoral circle, said people in outermost regions including the Azores and Madeira should have equal access to the European market.
He said an Azores resident may enter a postcode on an online shopping site only to have the purchase refused or shipping costs abruptly increased to discourage completion. Moniz said the practice conflicts with EU principles and Portuguese law, and that geoblocking and commercial exclusion continue to keep thousands of people in outermost regions from the free movement of goods and people.
Moniz said not enough is being done to ensure that online shoppers in outermost regions are not discriminated against or prevented from fully exercising their rights. According to the press note, McGrath recognised the issue's relevance and said the European Commission would pay particular attention to compliance with rules across the Union.
McGrath said he would closely follow consumer-protection matters and that the Commission would, for the first time, have powers to investigate and open infringement proceedings on consumer-rights issues. He also said EU law must be applied uniformly throughout the European area, including in the Azores.
Sources
Azores Guide
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