Positions
Classifieds marketplaces contribute to key EU Public Policy objectives
We contribute to
the Green Transition
By trading on our platforms, European consumers and businesses are given the opportunity to buy or sell used items, extending the lifespan of the product and giving it a new purpose. This is what we mean by empowering consumers participating in the circular economy. Our local dimension enables the transition to circular consumption in local communities throughout Europe.
We contribute to the Digital Transformation
Online classifieds promote economic inclusion, empowering both consumer and (small) business sellers. Our services allow private sellers to easily sell items they no longer need or want and allow buyers to save money by giving them access to millions of second-hand products, finding unique items and great deals. For small businesses and entrepreneurs we provide the opportunity to easily transition online in the way they choose and give them the platform and national reach to become successful, fostering economic growth in local communities.
Our policy priorities
Digital Services Act (DSA)
— The DSA was presented on 15 December 2020 and, along with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), will complement the 2000 e-Commerce Directive and the Platform-to-Business Regulation, as announced in the 2020 Commission’s Communication on Shaping Europe’s digital future. It will broaden the material scope compared to the existing e-Commerce Directive as the rules will apply to online intermediary services and impose harmonised and asymmetric obligations for distinct categories of online intermediaries: intermediary services; hosting services; online platforms and very large online platforms.
— CME welcomes the DSA proposal put forward by the European Commission and shares the Commission’s view that the core principles of the 2000 E-Commerce Directive are still fit-for-purpose and futureproof: (i) the Country-of-Origin principle; (ii) the prohibition of general monitoring obligations; (iii) the principle of limited liability. CME also supports a risk-based approach as we fear that a horizontal approach to all online platforms will result in unintended consequences for low-risk platforms like online classifieds that have an almost exclusive local focus and where the majority of trade is C2C and second-hand.
General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)
— The proposal for a Regulation on general product safety aims to update and modernise the general framework for non-food consumer products, and to align the market surveillance rules for non-harmonised products with the rules that apply to products falling under the scope of EU harmonisation legislation. The proposal was presented in June 2021 and is part of the 2020 New Consumer Agenda, which puts forward the EU’s policy priorities in the area of consumer protection and the role of consumers in the digital and green transitions.
— CME welcomes the proposal to review the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) put forward by the Commission and believes that the proposal rightly aims to better protect consumers and provides more legal certainty. CME also supports a risk-based approach, as we fear that a horizontal approach to all marketplaces will result in unintended consequences for low-risk platforms like online classifieds that have an almost exclusively local/national scope and where the majority of trade is between consumers (C2C) acting in individual (non-commercial) capacity in second-hand products. We believe the reuse and resale of (safe) products that are already on the EU market should be maximised and consumers should not be discouraged from buying and selling second-hand products which ultimately benefit circular consumption. It is also key to ensure consistency between the different legislative instruments impacting marketplaces: for purposes of legal certainty, providing a consistent regulatory framework between the GPSR and the Digital Services Act (DSA) will be essential, including on the definition of online marketplaces and trader traceability obligations.
