B2B Internet Trading Platforms - EDIS

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As acknowledged by the e-Economy communication, existing competition rules provide powerful and flexible instruments to prohibit anti-competitive activities. Therefore, in general, the legal framework for B2B electronic transactions is well established and creates a “level playing field” for all economic entities, irrespectively of their size and origin. However, legislation and competition rules cannot solve all the problems. Business culture and unwritten conventions are also important to foster business and build trust. As in the off-line world, trust and confidence for on-line transactions has to be built on both the legal and regulatory framework as well as on mutually acceptable business practices. Self-regulation can play a major role in promoting fair and reliable business practices. The e- commerce Directive clearly encourages the development of codes of conduct at Community level, by trade, professional and consumer associations, aiming at the proper implementation of the Directive. 20 In this context, codes of conduct may play an important role in facilitating the proper application of the e-commerce Directive. However, as the legal requirements established by the Directive are the minimum conditions that service providers should respect, codes of conduct may go beyond these conditions by defining other areas, where business consider that further information could be usefully disclosed. In any case, codes of conduct or any other form of self-regulation should be compatible with Community law. In particular, self-regulation may be useful in such areas as information on the transaction procedure, 21 information on products and services, 22 information on the conditions and rules for on-line auctions, 23 information on the goods and services to be auctioned 24 information on the methods to ensure the security of information and communication systems, information on the settlement of disputes, information on “notice and take down” procedures for the removal of illegal information from the Internet etc. 25 In all these areas, self-regulation would contribute to enhance trust in B2B electronic transactions. 20 21 22 23 24 25 Article 16.1(a) Member States and the Commission shall encourage the drawing up of codes of conduct at Community level, by trade, professional and consumer associations, designed to contribute to the proper implementation of Articles 5 to 15. Such as information on the different steps for the conclusion of the contract, information on the availability of products and delivery dates, information on payment modes, information on the languages of the transaction etc Such as information on the main characteristics of goods and services, information on certification of products and services etc Such as clear rules of the procedure, information on the criteria for participation, information on the evaluation criteria for the bidding, information on the starting time and duration of the auction etc In particular, clear specification of the products and services seems to be a major issue for auctions since the price is often the decisive factor Information on the handling of complaints by the company, information on the availability of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms etc 24
The development of codes of conduct is, by definition, the responsibility of market players. In order to be efficient, codes of conduct should be inclusive and reflect consensus between all relevant stakeholders and should be developed at European level, thus contributing to the completion of the Internal Market. European business associations have to play a major role in initiating the process or in leveraging national initiatives at European level. The Commission could facilitate this process by encouraging European wide self-regulation, e.g. by bringing together interested stakeholders and by offering a platform for the exchange of views and experiences and for sharing best practice in building and maintaining trust in B2B electronic transactions. 25
Page 1 and 2: B2B Internet trading platforms: Opp
Page 3: TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ....
Page 6 and 7: As a follow up to the e-Economy com
Page 8 and 9: e-marketplaces are geared to the ne
Page 10 and 11: Since an e-marketplace needs both s
Page 12 and 13: Currently, around one thousand B2B
Page 14 and 15: are one aspect. Potentially higher
Page 16 and 17: much slower than expected and seems
Page 18 and 19: should use Internet platforms. Ther
Page 20 and 21: and comprehensive set of standards
Page 22 and 23: The main trust challenges for B2B e
Page 26 and 27: CONCLUSIONS This working paper anal
Page 28 and 29: TYPE OF MARKETPLACE NUMBER Environm
Page 30 and 31: ACTIVITY ON E-MARKETPLACES Table C
Page 32 and 33: 2.1. General comments In general, t
Page 34 and 35: (7,1 %), hotels, restaurants, touri
Page 36: launched without having the intenti

B2B Internet Trading Platforms - EDIS

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