Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee "Enhancing Trust and Confidence in Business-to-Business Electronic Markets" {SEC(2004) 930}
Date: 2004-07-14
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: commercial law, electronic commerce, small and medium-sized enterprises, trade relations, type of business

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 14.7.2004 
COM(2004) 479 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL,  
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND 
SOCIAL COMMITTEE 

"Enhancing Trust and Confidence in Business-to-Business Electronic Markets" 

{SEC(2004) 930} 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL,  
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND 
SOCIAL COMMITTEE 

"Enhancing Trust and Confidence in Business-to-Business Electronic Markets" 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

Business-to-Business  electronic  marketplaces  (“B2B  e-markets”)  are  advanced  forms  of  e-
business,  bringing  together  buyers  and  sellers  to  conduct  commercial  transactions  by 
electronic means. Their different forms range from simple catalogue-based online buying and 
selling  to  sophisticated  process  integration  solutions.  In  this  way,  e-markets  contribute  to 
improving  efficiency  and  enhancing  the  productivity  and  competitiveness  of  European 
enterprises. However, despite the potential benefits, the participation of enterprises, notably of 
smaller and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), in B2B e-markets is still relatively low.  

In  November  2002,  Directorate  General  Enterprise  published  a  Commission  Staff  Working 
Document on “B2B Internet trading platforms: Opportunities and barriers for SMEs - A first 
assessment”1,  which  identified  a  number  of  potential  barriers  hindering  the  participation  of 
SMEs in electronic trading platforms, such as a lack of awareness, a lack of information and a 
lack  of  trust  in  relation  to  electronic  transactions.  Subsequently,  an  Expert  Group,  which 
included  experts  from  industry  and  e-market  operators,  was  established  to  further  discuss 
these problems and to present  recommendations  to the Commission on how to facilitate the 
participation  of  SMEs  in  e-markets.  The  Commission  welcomes  the  Report  of  the  Expert 
Group2 and supports the main recommendation to strengthen self-regulation in order to raise 
the level of trust and confidence in e-markets. 

The relatively low use of B2B e-markets, in particular by SMEs, may be explained by the fact 
that buyers seem to benefit more from B2B e-markets than sellers. As a result, SMEs, which 
are often suppliers of large companies, are more reluctant to use B2B e-markets. In particular, 
concerns  have  been  expressed  by  SMEs  with  respect  to  a  specific  form  of  e-market 
applications,  namely  online  reverse  auctions.  Some  of  these  concerns  are  related  to  the  fact 
that  online  reverse  auctions  are  mainly  used  as  a  tool  to  drive  supplier  prices  down,  thus 
apparently favouring buyers more than sellers. Such concerns may have a negative impact on 
the use of e-business in general and, as a result, on the productivity and competitiveness of 
European enterprises. However, the Commission’s objective is not to promote specific trading 
forms but rather to remove existing or potential obstacles which may prevent enterprises from 
using e-markets in an efficient and mutually beneficial manner. 

The objective of this Communication is to enhance trust and confidence in B2B e-markets by 
pre-empting  existing  concerns  and  facilitating  the  participation  of  enterprises  in  these  new 
trading forms. Besides, the Communication aims to improve understanding of the applicable 
legal framework and to address potential barriers to the internal market which may arise from 
different national rules on unfair trade practices in B2B e-markets. 

1 
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SEC (2002) 1217, 11.11.2002. 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/ict/policy/b2b/wshop/fin-report.pdf. 

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Most  importantly,  the  Communication  aims  to  facilitate  the  further  implementation  of  the 
recommendations  of  the  Expert  Group  on  the  development  of  codes  of  conduct,  in  order  to 
enhance  trust  and  fairness  and  to  facilitate  broader  participation  of  enterprises  in  B2B  e-
markets.  Although  this  is  predominantly  the  responsibility  of  the  private  sector,  the 
Commission is willing to support consensus building in this area and to further promote self-
regulation by appropriate means. 

2. 

B2B E-MARKETS 

B2B e-commerce, i.e. buying and selling online, has become an increasingly popular way of 
conducting  transactions  between  companies.  Many  enterprises  have  meanwhile  adopted 
ambitious  strategies  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  internal  business  processes  as  well  as  to 
improve and streamline customer relationships. B2B e-markets are an advanced form of B2B 
e-commerce when compared to, for example, buying and selling via web sites. They can be 
defined as internet-based trading platforms where enterprises exchange goods and services.3 

These  new  trading  forms  may  not  necessarily  result  in  a  balanced  distribution  of  costs  and 
benefits.  This  applies  notably  to  online  reverse  auctions.  Online  auctions  are  formal  price-
finding procedures on an internet trading platform initiated by a seller with the aim of selling 
products or services at the highest possible price. Reverse auctions are initiated by the buyer 
with  the  aim  of  buying  products  and  services  for  the  lowest  possible  price.  Some  reverse 
auctions explicitly aim at short-term cost reductions instead of long-term business relations.  

However,  it  has  been  argued  that  potential  cost  savings  through  reverse  auctions,  resulting 
from increased competitive pressure, may be more than outweighed by higher costs related to 
frequent  changes  of  suppliers  and  therefore  less  integrated  business  chains.  At  present,  the 
empirical  and  economic  evidence  available  on  the  direct  and  indirect  costs  and  benefits  of 
different  electronic  trading  forms,  including  reverse  auctions,  does  not  allow  for  definite 
conclusions  on  the  effects  on  their  participants.  Therefore,  the  Commission  will  initiate  an 
economic  study  in  order  to  analyse  the  impact  of  B2B  e-markets  on  competitiveness  and 
productivity of the EU industry.  

3. 

THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR B2B E-MARKETS  

B2B  e-markets  are  subject  to  a  number  of  legal  rules,  which  cover  different  stages  of  their 
activities, ranging from their establishment to their operation and the conclusion of contracts 
by electronic means. These rules aim, in particular, at removing obstacles to the provision of 
information society services across the European Union and at ensuring fair and undistorted 
competition.  Better  awareness  of  the  applicable  law  will  certainly  help  to  raise  trust  and 
confidence  in  the  new  forms  of  electronic  trading.  The  Commission  will  therefore  continue 
seeking  support  for  the  European  e-Business  Legal  Portal,  an  online  information  service  on 
the  legal  framework  for  e-business,  notably  for  SMEs,  provided  by  a  European  network  of 
Euro Info Centres (ELEAS network).4  

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See Annex 1 for details. 
http://www.ebusinesslex.net. 

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Raising awareness will strengthen B2B trade 

Creating  trust  and  confidence  is  increasingly  an  issue  for  electronic  transactions  between 
enterprises.  This  view  is  confirmed  by  the  results  of  an  open  consultation  of  enterprises  on 
legal barriers to e-business5, which was conducted by the Commission’s services during the 
last  quarter  of  2003.  A  new  concern  relates  to  certain  forms  of  online  auctions  due  to  their 
increasing use in B2B e-markets. Many enterprises are apparently unaware of the legal rules 
applicable to these auctions. They may thus perceive it as difficult to distinguish between a 
shift  of  market  power  that  has  to  be  accepted  for  economic  reasons,  and  unfair  practices 
which do not comply with legal provisions or codes of conduct. One reason for this is that, 
contrary  to  traditional  auctions,  electronic  auctions  are  a  relatively  new  phenomenon  which 
has  not  yet  had  time  to  evolve  and  to  develop  trade  practices  which  would  address  the 
potential conflicts inherent to auction tools in general.  

The internal market rules apply to B2B e-markets… 

The establishment of a B2B e-market is subject to the E-commerce Directive.6 B2B e-markets 
are considered as information society services, which can be freely established without prior 
authorisation.  In  addition,  the  internal  market  clause  provides  that  each  Member  State  shall 
ensure that the information society services provided by a service provider established on its 
territory  comply  with  the  national  provisions  applicable  in  the  Member  State  in  question 
which fall within the coordinated field. As a main rule, Member States may not, for reasons 
falling  within  the  coordinated  field,  restrict  the  freedom  to  provide  information  society 
services  from  another  Member  State.  However,  the  Directive  does  not  establish  additional 
rules on private international law nor does it deal with the jurisdiction of Courts.  

With  respect  to  the  operation  of  a  B2B  e-market,  the  transparency  rules  of  the  Directive 
require information on the identity and the place of establishment of the service provider and 
that the transparency obligations for the electronic conclusion of contracts are respected. The 
Commission considers these legal provisions as important steps in the continuing creation of 
an internal market for B2B e-markets.  

…but national legal differences still exist  

Many  concerns  related  to  B2B  e-markets,  in  particular  to  B2B  electronic  auctions,  are 
attributed to a lack of transparency on the way the electronic transactions are conducted and to 
specific  business  practices  which  are  perceived  as  unfair  by  enterprises.  Examples  of  such 
postulated unfair practices refer to the lack of a clear reference to the participation terms and 
conditions, uncertainties regarding the exact moment a contract is concluded, the possibility 
to withdraw bids, the uncertainties as to the acceptance of the best bid in online auctions, and 
to  practices  which  are  considered  as  a  distortion  of  the  price  setting  mechanism  in  online 
auctions  (e.g.  the  submission  of  bids  by  the  initiator  of  an  auction).  Such  practices  are 
generally covered by national contract law and legislation against unfair competition, which 
apply to both offline and online auctions. However, these rules may differ from one country to 

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Commission Staff Working Document: Legal barriers in e-business “The results of an open consultation 
of enterprises“, http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/ict/policy/doc/legal_barriers_sec_2004_498.pdf. 
Directive 2000/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2000 on certain legal 
aspects  of  information  society  services,  in  particular  electronic  commerce,  in  the  Internal  Market 
('Directive on electronic commerce') OJ L 178 , 17/07/2000 p.1-16. 

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another,  thus  resulting  in  perceived  uncertainties  as  to  the  applicable  rules  for  cross-border 
electronic transactions.  

In  some  cases,  the  existing  national  rules  clearly  state  that  specific  practices  constitute  a 
breach of contract, e.g. the sale of defective goods, late or non-delivery of ordered products, 
late  or  non-payment  of  goods,  wrong  quantity  or  bad  quality  of  delivered  goods.  In  other 
cases,  the  legal  situation  is  less  clear,  e.g.  as  regards  the  hidden  setting  of  reserve  prices  in 
auctions, the right of the initiator of the auction to submit bids or the obligation of the initiator 
to accept the best bid. In particular, some national legal provisions may leave different options 
to the parties  to  agree  on  what extent such practices  are allowed  or not. It may  also remain 
unclear  how  existing  national  rules  for  auctions  apply  to  the  online  environment  (e.g. 
definition of the exact moment a contract is concluded in an online auction). 

Without  further  analysis  it  is  difficult  to  assess  to  what  extent  the  reported  cases  of  unfair 
business  practices  in  B2B  e-markets  are  indeed  covered  by  existing  national  legislation.  In 
any case, differences exist between Member States on the way such practices are regulated, 
which  may  result  in  barriers  when  using  e-markets  for  cross  border  electronic  transactions. 
Therefore,  the  Commission  intends  to  further  assess  to  what  extent  existing  national 
differences may constitute an obstacle to the internal market for B2B electronic transactions.  

Better transparency on legal safeguards against unfair commercial practices is necessary  

In  order  to  increase  the  transparency  of  national  rules  applicable  to  unfair  commercial 
practices, the Commission will launch a study which may contribute to a policy debate on the 
need for European harmonisation of the relevant legal provisions, as well as take into account 
the  state  of  play  on  existing  EU  legislation7.  In  parallel,  the  Commission  will  encourage 
feedback  from  enterprises  on  concrete  examples  of  unfair  practices  in  B2B  e-markets. 
Feedback  will  be  collected  through  existing  business  networks,  such  as  the  European  e-
Business Legal Portal, the European B2B e-marketplaces portal8 and the national e-commerce 
contact  points9.  The  results  will  be  further  analysed  and  published  by  the  Commission’s 
services.  

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E.g. the Directive on misleading and comparative advertising, Council Directive 84/450/EEC relating to 
the  approximation  of  the  laws,  regulations  and  administrative  provisions  of  the  Member  States 
concerning misleading advertising (OJ L 250, 19.9.1984, p.17) and Directive 97/55/EC of the European 
Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 84/450/EEC concerning misleading advertising so as 
to include comparative advertising (OJ L 290, 23.10.1997, p.18). 
http://www.emarketservices.com. 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/en/ecommerce/contactpoints_en.htm. 

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In addition, a Legal Expert Group on B2B e-markets will be established with representatives 
from  Member  States  and  relevant  stakeholders,  to  further  assess  the  legal  situation  and  to 
analyse the specific complaints reported by enterprises. This group will be invited to prepare a 
report  on  the  need  for  further  European  harmonisation  in  the  field  of  contract  law  and  for 
assessing the existing safeguards against unfair commercial practices in B2B e-markets, with 
a view to facilitating cross-border electronic transactions between enterprises. Follow-ups to 
this  report  will  be  carried  out  in  line  with  the  ongoing  developments  on  European  Contract 
Law10. 

Competition rules for B2B e-markets are sufficient 

Another  major  concern  is  that  participants  or  owners  of  B2B  e-markets  may  distort 
competition,  e.g.  through  bundling  purchasing  or  selling  power  or  by  sharing  sensitive 
business information. The Commission is aware of such anti-competitive risks and therefore 
strictly applies EC Competition Law11 in order to prevent concentration effects and to ensure 
that anti-competitive agreements or an abuse of a dominant position will not occur.12 

In  this  respect,  the  prevention  of  abuse  of  market  dominance  is  of  particular  importance, 
taking into account the user profiles of e-markets. A concern often expressed is that e-markets 
may create so-called network effects, as their value for individual users rises with the number 
of users, which may result in a dominant position of a network operator if the network effects 
are strong enough to induce all market participants to use the same network. In addition, risks 
of market dominance may arise from efforts to impose the exclusive use of a given e-market 
or to prevent access of all interested buyers and sellers to it. Of further relevance is the risk 
that e-market participants may effectively bundle purchasing or selling volumes, which may 
constitute a competition problem, if this affects their behaviour as buyers or sellers and their 
market shares are not insignificant. There is also the concern that electronic trading platforms 
may facilitate the exchange of market-sensitive business information on prices, quantities or 
other terms of the contract, thus leading to anti-competitive concerted practices or agreements 
between competitors. Whether the exchange of information constitutes a competition problem 
or not depends very much on the type of information and the intensity of the competition on 
the  specific  market.  For  example,  the  exchange  of  sensitive  information  on  prices, 
participants,  etc.  in  an  oligopolistic  market  with  only  a  few  players  is  more  likely  to  raise 
competition concerns than in an e-market with many buyers or sellers.  

The Commission has gained practical experience in the assessment of B2B e-markets through 
a  number  of  cases  under  Articles  81-82  of  the  EC  Treaty  and  under  the  EC  Merger 
Regulation. This experience has demonstrated that the existing competition rules sufficiently 
address the potential competition concerns raised by these new electronic trading forms and 
ensure  that  competition  will  not  be  distorted.  In  the  cases  dealt  with  so  far,  competition 
concerns  have  been  cleared  because  the  electronic  market  places  involved  provided  for 

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12 

Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament  on  European 
contract  law  (OJ  C  255,  13.9.2001,  p.1);  Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European 
Parliament  and  the  Council:  A  more  coherent  European  contract  law  -  an  Action  Plan  (OJ  C  63, 
15.3.2003, p.1) 
Notably Arts. 81 and 82 of the EC Treaty, Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 
on  the  control  of  concentrations  between  undertakings  (the  EC  Merger  Regulation),  OJ  L  24, 
29.01.2004, p. 1-22. 
This assessment will, however, have to be done on a case by case basis, so that the following passages 
cannot prejudice the application of EC competition rules to specific cases. 

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effective protection of sensitive business information or the limitation of joint buying. Under 
the new Regulation 1/200313, which replaces Regulation 17/1962, an a-priori notification of 
agreements  and  clearance  by  the  Commission  is  no  longer  foreseen.  As  a  result,  e-market 
operators  will  have  to  assess  themselves,  having  recourse  to  Commission  decisions  and 
guidelines, such as the guidelines on horizontal cooperation agreements14, whether or not the 
agreements in question are compatible with Article 81 EC Treaty. The Commission, National 
Competition Authorities and Courts may, however, either on their own initiative or following 
a complaint, examine e-markets in view of possible infringements of EC competition rules.  

…but transparency about the applicable competition rules can be further improved  

Trust  and  confidence  in  B2B  e-markets  would  certainly  benefit  from  a  more  in-depth 
knowledge  of  the  applicable  competition  rules.  This  would  facilitate  compliance  with  these 
rules by e-market operators as well as by the trading partners, and would have a disciplinary 
effect. The Commission therefore intends to provide stakeholders in B2B e-markets with an 
easy  access  to  such  coherent  information.  To  this  end,  the  e-marketplaces  portal  could 
comprise information on the Commission's competition law practice regarding the set up and 
operation  of  B2B  e-marketplaces,  mainly  in  the  form  of  links  to  the  relevant  decisions  and 
documents  on  the  Commission's  website.  Information  should  also  be  provided  on  how  to 
complain about anti-competitive behaviour in B2B e-markets.  

4. 

THE  ROLE  OF  SELF-REGULATION  IN  BUILDING  TRUST  IN  B2B  E-
MARKETS  

The legal provisions applicable to the establishment and operation of B2B e-markets leave, in 
some  cases,  scope  for  agreements  between  enterprises  on  the  operational  and  contractual 
terms. In this context, self-regulation may play an important role in shaping business practices 
which are based on fair trade principles and the mutual benefits from trading online. 

B2B e-markets are to be built on trust and confidence 

The  further  development  of  B2B  e-markets  would  certainly  benefit  if  all  participants  felt 
reassured that transaction processes could be completed in a transparent, secure and fair way. 
In order to be more widely accepted, B2B e-markets should be built on trust and confidence. 
In this respect, the expectations of enterprises in relation to online trade are not fundamentally 
different from the expectations of consumers, although the enterprises are not subject to the 
same level of legal protection. 

Self-regulation can play an important role in areas which are not covered by (mandatory) law. 
This makes it especially applicable to online auctions, since most national contract laws offer 
the  parties  the  possibility  to  agree  on  the  specific  practices  to  be  followed.  In  the  relatively 
new area of online auctions, self-regulation may contribute to shaping fair business practices. 
Many  potential  conflicts  resulting  from  perceived  unfair  practices  could  be  avoided  by 
ensuring  better  transparency  on  the  applied  rules,  in  particular  if  they  are  based  on  a  broad 
consensus amongst the different partners. 

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Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1/2003  of  16  December  2002  on  the  implementation  of  the  rules  on 
competition laid down in Articles 81 and 82 of the Treaty OJ L 1, 04.01.2003, p 1-25. 
Guidelines on the applicability of Article 81 of the EC Treaty to horizontal cooperation agreements, OJ 
C 3, 6.1.2001, p. 2-30. 

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The Commission supports the idea of self-regulation for B2B e-markets 

The Commission is of the opinion that, in order for e-markets to be sustainable and efficient, 
they  should  be  based  on  fair  trade  principles  which  allow  enterprises  to  participate  in  them 
without taking undue risks. To be efficient, self-regulation must reflect a consensus between 
all relevant stakeholders. The Commission encourages the development of codes of conduct 
with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, e.g. e-market operators, buyers and sellers, 
with a view to ensuring that the code of conduct reflects a balance of interest and results in 
increased commitment of the relevant stakeholders to fair practices. In order to facilitate this 
consensus building initiative and to evaluate its needs and possibilities, an open workshop on 
trust and confidence in B2B e-markets will be organised in the second half of 2004. It should 
be  noted  that  the  Commission  is  prepared  to  facilitate  the  process  by  bringing  together  the 
relevant  stakeholders,  however  without  being  directly  involved  in  the  negotiations  on  the 
concrete terms of possible codes of conduct. 

A reference model for codes of conduct in B2B e-markets 

The  needs  and  prospects  for  self-regulatory  efforts  may  differ  between  sectors  and  trading 
forms.  A  particular  need  seems  to  exist  for  codes  of  conduct,  which  further  specify 
transparency  rules  on  the  operation  of  B2B  electronic  reverse  auctions.  Following  the 
recommendations  of  the  Expert  Group  on  B2B  Internet  trading  platforms,  such  codes  of 
conduct  should,  in  particular,  address  the  users’  needs  for  information  on  the  e-market  in 
question  (e.g.  participants,  transaction  process  models,  price  setting  mechanisms,  technical 
security, privacy and confidentiality, applicable law and dispute resolution schemes).15 

First efforts to develop codes of conduct have been undertaken by European associations in 
various industrial sectors. However, a preliminary assessment demonstrates that they are often 
incomplete  and  do  not  sufficiently  address  all  relevant  issues.16  The  Commission  therefore 
invites  the  private  sector  to  review  existing  codes  of  conduct,  with  a  view  to  making  them 
more inclusive and complete. 

Codes of conduct for B2B e-markets are voluntary 

By  definition,  codes  of  conduct  are  based  on  voluntary  agreements  and  are  not  legally 
binding. The Commission is of the view that such voluntary commitments are best suited to 
create a climate of mutual trust and thus to strengthen e-business. It therefore considers that 
enterprises which subscribe to codes of conduct should effectively comply with them. 

Greater  transparency  on  agreed  codes  of  conduct  is  needed  to  stimulate  the  further 
development of business practices. By adhering to a code of conduct, B2B e-market operators 
and enterprises may expect enhanced trust and confidence in their services, in particular if the 
code  of  conduct  is  supported  by  a  third  party  certification  scheme  that  verifies  compliance 
with the agreed principles. 

15 
16 

See Annex 2 and 3. 
See Annex 2. 

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…but more transparency will help to promote fair trade principles 

The Commission encourages B2B e-market operators to proactively enhance transparency of 
the  terms  of  participation  and  to  provide  potential  buyers  and  sellers  with  all  relevant 
information in order to better assess the trustworthiness and security of the e-market. Based 
on such information, independent rating systems may be further developed, which will allow 
enterprises to make informed decisions about which B2B e-markets to use. In this respect, the 
European  e-marketplaces  portal  will  play  an  important  role  in  better  informing  enterprises 
about those B2B e-markets which comply with the essential fair trade principles. 

To further enhance the efficiency of self-regulation in this field, the Commission encourages 
business organisations and Chambers of Commerce to inform their members about the terms 
of existing codes of conduct and to provide guidance for an effective participation in B2B e-
markets.  All  information  and  training  efforts  should  remain  strictly  neutral  and  should  not 
result in binding recommendations on the use of specific B2B e-markets. 

5. 

CONCLUSIONS 

This Communication addresses the need to enhance trust and confidence in B2B e-markets in 
order  to  reduce  economic  risks  stemming  from  unfair  or  illegal  business  practices  in  such 
markets. B2B e-markets have the potential to enhance efficiency by reducing transaction costs 
and strengthening competition, but such efficiency gains largely depend on the willingness of 
enterprises  to  participate  in  them.  To  remove  the  potential  barriers  to  the  use  of  B2B  e-
markets  resulting  from  a  lack  of  trust  and  confidence,  the  Commission  foresees  taking  the 
following steps: 

•  Analysis, in close co-operation with Member States, of existing national legislation which 
applies  to  unfair  commercial  practices  in  B2B  e-markets,  with  a  view  to  identifying 
possible gaps and/or needs for European harmonisation.  

•  Encouragement of the stakeholders to agree on or review codes of conduct, with a view to 
further  promoting  fair  trade  principles  in  B2B  e-markets,  as  described  in  this 
Communication;  the  Commission  is  prepared  to  facilitate  the  process  of  consensus 
building between trading partners by bringing together all relevant stakeholders at sectoral 
level and further explaining the legal requirements to be met. 

•  Launch  of  a  study  on  the  economic  impacts  of  B2B  e-markets  on  competitiveness  and 
productivity  of  EU  enterprises,  analysing  in  particular  the  direct  and  indirect  costs  and 
benefits  incurred  by  the  e-market  participants.  The  results  of  this  study  will  be  further 
discussed  with  stakeholders,  in  order  to  optimise  their  business  strategies  in  B2B  e-
markets. 

•  Provision of coherent information on the application of existing competition rules on B2B 

e-markets, in order to provide guidance for pro-competitive behaviour. 

This Communication is expected to encourage a more intense dialogue between stakeholders 
involved  in  B2B  e-markets  with  regard  to  respecting  fair  trade  principles  and  security 
requirements.  As  a  consequence,  potential  barriers  to  the  participation  in  such  electronic 
trading  forms  should  be  removed,  giving  a  positive  impact  to  the  efficiency  of  business 
processes  and  the  competitiveness of European enterprises. The Commission’s services  will 
regularly report on the progress made through the European e-marketplaces portal.  

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