Geo-blocking in the Digital Single Market

These Briefings are prepared by the Ex-Ante Impact Assessment Unit of the European Parliament for the relavent EP Committee(s) examining the European Commission propsoal. The Briefing analyses whether the principal criteria laid down in the Commission’s own Better Regulation Guidelines, as well as additional factors identified by the Parliament in its Impact Assessment Handbook, appear to be met by the IA. It does not attempt to deal with the substance of the proposal. It is drafted for informational and background purposes to assist the relevant parliamentary committee(s) and Members of the European Parliament more widely in their work.This document comprises an Initial Appraisal by the European Parliament of a European Commission Impact Assessment of its proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on addressing geo-blocking and other forms of discrimination based on place of
residence or establishment or nationality within the Single Market (COM/2016/289)

It says that the Impact Assessmenr (IA) clearly defines the problem and appears to use up-to-date data and research throughout, especially in the problem definition and in establishing the scope of the impact assessment. At times, however, the presentation of the policy options lacks clarity. The IA seems to provide sound justification for the proposal, but appears not to fully address the RSB’s recommendation in its first opinion for a better description of the potential interaction of all the legislation that would target justified geo-blocking. This is something which might merit attention, particularly given that many of the parallel initiatives concerned are currently going through the European Parliament.

• Primary Source

EP: EPRS: Briefing: Implementation Appraisal: Ex-ante Impact Assessment http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/search.html?policyAreas=EXIMAS

ESO: Proposal for a Regulation on addressing geo-blocking and other forms of discrimination based on customers' nationality, place of residence or place of establishment within the internal market http://www.europeansources.info/record/proposal-for-a-regulation-on-addressing-geo-blocking-and-other-forms-of-discrimination-based-on-customers-nationality-place-of-residence-or-place-of-establishment-within-the-internal-market/

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