Ban on geoblocking: EU online shopping made easier
Online shoppers can breathe a sigh of relief just in time for the holidays. From December 3rd, the EU will ban access barriers to online purchases of goods, services and electronic services.
This means that retailers will be obliged to provide consumers throughout the EU with access to goods and services under the same conditions, wherever they access the website.
For example, if a website user in Germany switches to the Swedish or Italian page of an online shop, the user may no longer be automatically redirected to the existing German shop website, where the desired product may be displayed as unavailable.
It applies to all online traders operating in the EU, even if the supplier does not have a subsidiary operating in the EU. But there are also exceptions: Transport services (such as airline tickets), financial services, health services, streaming services, telecommunications and gambling. Private individuals who only occasionally sell second-hand goods are also exempted from the new rules.