What are the obstacles hindering eCommerce, and what is EU4Digital doing to help?

While the EU is a single market that allows the free exchange of goods and services between Member States, goods and services cannot easily be exchanged between the EU and Eastern partner countries, due to differences in eCommerce legislation, standards and the ecosystem.

The goal of the EU4Digital eTrade thematic area’s eCommerce report is to:

• eliminate the barriers for cross-border eCommerce; 
• boost cross-border eCommerce volume; 
• facilitate SMEs to comply with the EU VAT eCommerce package and Import Control System 2.

Through the eCommerce consultations centre, which is part of the eCommerce accelerator, EU4Digital is enabling small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to overcome obstacles in starting to sell on EU marketplaces. The centre provides practical advice from a team of experts, who help SMEs select the most appropriate marketplace to start selling on, guide them through account creation and listing products, answer legal and tax-related questions, and help develop their digital marketing strategy. The national pavilion account pilot complements this expert team’s offer by creating government-owned accounts (in Armenia and Ukraine), through which local SMEs can begin to sell their products in Europe, while learning eCommerce best practices for themselves through practical experience.