eBay research shows how the online commerce platform model opens up market opportunities across the EU (as well as globally) for small European enterprises, but these opportunities are not exclusive to businesses in the economic hubs. As the European Commission has correctly identified, cross-border parcel delivery is a key building block of a fully functioning Digital Single Market. While the parcel delivery sector is innovating and evolving to serve online commerce, there are system failures that harm small infrequent senders in general and those in peripheral areas in particular.
The Commission is looking to the industry to lead efforts to improve quality of services and interoperability, while it is asking national regulatory authorities to help in increasing transparency of services and prices through its “Regulation on cross-border parcel delivery services”. National regulatory authorities should use the tools provided by the Regulation to not only assess price affordability but also identify coverage gaps in cross-border delivery services. The Commission in turn should closely monitor the impact the Regulation has on cross-border prices and service levels and adopt further regulatory measures if needed.