Unjustified geo‑blocking in e‑commerce – The Regulation provides a balanced framework, but challenges remain in implementation

Summary:

Geo-blocking limits consumer access and hinders the EU digital single market by restricting access to online services across member states. The 2018 Geo-blocking Regulation aimed to address such discrimination based on nationality or residence. We assessed the effect of the Regulation and actions taken by the Commission and member states to tackle unjustified geo-blocking. While progress has been made for consumers and traders, challenges remain in implementing the Regulation uniformly. We recommend that the Commission carry out a study to assess whether to extend the scope of the Geo-blocking Regulation, improve support and awareness in member states, strengthen enforcement arrangements and improve the adequacy of the monitoring system to measure the effectiveness of the Geo-blocking Regulation.

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