| NOTAS: | "A study published today shows that cross-border parcel prices for national postal operators are almost 5 times higher than their domestic equivalents. The results of the Commission's public consultation on parcel delivery, also published today, confirm that consumers and retailers are still held back by high costs of cross-border delivery and problems placing online orders which involve a parcel being delivered from one Member State to another. EU consumers could save over €11 billion each year, if they could choose from the full range of goods and services when shopping online. Currently, 44% of consumers buy online in their own country, but only 15% order online from another EU Member State. As set out in the Digital Single Market strategy, the Commission plans to make shipments of cross-border parcels more affordable and will launch measures in spring 2016 to enhance price transparency and regulatory oversight of the cross-border parcel markets. Vice-President Andrus Ansip, in charge of the Digital Single Market, said: "Today, it often costs much more to send home something that you have bought from a website in another EU country than to have it delivered nationally, even when the distance is the same or shorter. The high prices and inefficiency of cross-border parcel delivery deter people from selling to or buying from other EU countries. This means that e-commerce is not being used to its full potential. We now need to make sure that it can develop across all of the European Union, putting this important part of the DSM strategy into effect as quickly as possible." Elzbieta Bienkowska, Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, added: "Our objective is to make shipments of cross-border parcels seamless and more affordable for both individuals and SMEs – not by regulating prices or imposing caps but by increasing transparency and competition." More information here. (For more information: Lucia Caudet – Tel.: +32 229 56182; Heli Pietila – Tel.: +32 229 64950)”: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEX-15-6391_en.htm (3ª notícia do daily news)." |
