A future pan-European trustmark needs to be complementary to existing systems and should have strong links to dispute-resolution mechanisms. This opinion was stressed by Ecommerce Europe in a meeting with the Commission last week.
The possibility of creating a pan-European Trustmark for e-commerce was examined in a study requested by the Parliament’s IMCO Committee earlier this year by analysing existing e-commerce trustmarks, the relevant European legal framework and the main policy options for introducing such a trustmark. Another IMCO Committee report, Completing the Digital Single Market, also touches on the issue. In the report the Committee agrees that a future European trustmark should be simple and well-structured and should guarantee that a business operating online fully respects EU laws. The European Commission is currently evaluating its next steps.
During this exploratory meeting with the Commission, Ecommerce Europe expressed its support for the development of a European trustmark as long as certain conditions are fulfilled. Ecommerce Europe thinks that a European trustmark should not threaten existing national schemes. A future pan-European trustmark needs to be complementary to existing systems and should have strong links to dispute-resolution mechanisms.
