Growers who sell via the web could face a fresh tangle of EU bureaucracy, following a European Commission proposal to change the rules governing contractual arrangements known as “Rome I”. A new EC report suggests that online selling by businesses should comply with each of the 27 different sets of consumer protection laws in each EU member state.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) slammed the moves, suggesting it would cost small firms millions of Pounds in legal advice fees, saying it would “drag shopping back to the dark ages.”
“To introduce these proposals would force many businesses to remove information from their websites,” argues Tina Sommer, FSB EU Affairs Spokesman, “They would not be able to afford specialised legal advice to understand consumer laws in every EU member state. We speak on behalf of our members who are also consumers - many are self-employed - and so buy as individuals. This proposal does not protect buyers, it merely adds to the EU red tape burden and returns us to the pre-internet burden. The EU needs to think again.”
The organisation has promised to carry out its own assessment of the costs involved in implementing the programme, as the EC hasn’t yet done so.
