The recommendations also require online video streaming services to bear some of the production cost of European works either by directly investing in them or by paying into national funds, reuters.com reports. The proposals need approval from the 28 EU countries and European Parliament to come into full force.
The proposal is aimed at ecommerce websites as well sales of services provided in a specific location. Geoblocking is only allowed where national or EU laws obliges traders to block access to their products or services such as a ban on sales of alcohol to non-residents. Copyright-protected online services such as e-books, music, and games are not covered by the proposal for now but subject to a future review.
There is not only a single law to regulate Facebook, Google and eBay but proposal targets specific problems in areas such as copyright and telecoms. Online platforms are still not liable for the content they hold and transmit passively. EU compels online video streaming services providers such as Netflix and Amazon to devote at least a fifth of their catalog to European works. There is also an option for EU member states requiring streaming services not based in that country but targeting their audience to contribute financially to the production of European works.
Parcel delivery companies are obliged to publish domestic and cross-border prices for basic services and to give national authorities the power to assess whether they are affordable enough. National postal operators will have to give other operators access to cross-border parcel delivery services.
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