Commission's e-commerce policies assessed by UK inquiry
A UK inquiry into the phenomenon of e-commerce in Europe has endorsed the European Commission's stand on alternative dispute resolution stance and come out in favour of a Swedish proposal that the EU should have an e-ombudsman. The all party UK House of Lords inquiry, which focused on how policies in the UK and the European Union have developed towards e-commerce, also took in the USA's developments in the area before delivering its recommendations. From the information gathered, the inquiry produced 40 recommendations, which if followed, would improve access and establish more trust from users in the Internet and consumers in e-commerce. The Commission's policy of liberalising telecommunications infrastructures was strongly supported in the inquiry's conclusions. However, also highlighted was the Commission's e-commerce Directive, which works on a 'country of origin' principle, which is favourable to industry rather than a 'country of reception' principle which is more beneficial to consumers. A further recommendation was that the EU rationalise sector Councils and instead establish a competitiveness Council to deal with IT issues.