P8_TA(2018)0023 Geo-blocking and other forms of discrimination based on customers' nationality, place of residence or place of establishment ***I European Parliament legislative resolution of 6 February 2018 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on addressing geo-blocking and other forms of discrimination based on customers' nationality, place of residence or place of establishment within the internal market and amending Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 and Directive 2009/22/EC (COM(2016)0289 — C8-0192/2016 — 2016/0152(COD)) P8_TC1-COD(2016)0152 Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 6 February 2018 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) …/… of the European Parliament and of the Council on addressing unjustified geo-blocking and other forms of discrimination based on customers' nationality, place of residence or place of establishment within the internal market and amending Regulations (EC) No 2006/2004 and (EU) 2017/2394 and Directive 2009/22/EC
Date: 2018-02-06
Institutions: Committee on Culture and Education, Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, Committee on Legal Affairs, Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, European Parliament
Subjects: consumer protection, discrimination on the basis of nationality, electronic commerce, equal treatment, establishment, free movement of goods, freedom to provide services, goods and services, residence, single market








C_2018463EN.01007601.xml










21.12.2018   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 463/76






P8_TA(2018)0023
Geo-blocking and other forms of discrimination based on customers' nationality, place of residence or place of establishment ***I
European Parliament legislative resolution of 6 February 2018 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on addressing geo-blocking and other forms of discrimination based on customers' nationality, place of residence or place of establishment within the internal market and amending Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 and Directive 2009/22/EC (COM(2016)0289 — C8-0192/2016 — 2016/0152(COD))
(Ordinary legislative procedure: first reading)
(2018/C 463/17)

The European Parliament,






—


having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2016)0289),










—


having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C8-0192/2016),










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having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,










—


having regard to the reasoned opinion submitted, within the framework of Protocol No 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, by the Austrian Federal Council, asserting that the draft legislative act does not comply with the principle of subsidiarity,










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having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 19 October 2016 (1),










—


having regard to the provisional agreement approved by the committee responsible under Rule 69f(4) of its Rules of Procedure and the undertaking given by the Council representative by letter of 29 November 2017 to approve Parliament’s position, in accordance with Article 294(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,










—


having regard to Rule 59 of its Rules of Procedure,










—


having regard to the report of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and the opinions of the Committee on Legal Affairs, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on Culture and Education (A8-0172/2017),












1.


Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;












2.


Takes note of the statement by the Commission annexed to this resolution, which will be published in the L series of the Official Journal of the European Union together with the final legislative act;












3.


Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it replaces, substantially amends or intends to substantially amend its proposal;












4.


Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.






(1)  OJ C 34, 2.2.2017, p. 93.




P8_TC1-COD(2016)0152
Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 6 February 2018 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) …/… of the European Parliament and of the Council on addressing unjustified geo-blocking and other forms of discrimination based on customers' nationality, place of residence or place of establishment within the internal market and amending Regulations (EC) No 2006/2004 and (EU) 2017/2394 and Directive 2009/22/EC

(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position corresponds to the final legislative act, Regulation (EU) 2018/302).






ANNEX TO THE LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION
STATEMENT BY THE COMMISSION
The Commission takes note of the text of Article 9 agreed by the European Parliament and the Council.
Without prejudice to its right of initiative pursuant to the Treaty, the Commission wishes in this context to affirm that, in accordance with Article 9, in its first evaluation of this Regulation, due within two years after the entry into force of the Regulation, it will thoroughly assess the way in which the Regulation has been implemented and contributed to the effective functioning of the internal market. In so doing, it will take account of the increasing expectations of consumers especially of those that lack access to copyright protected services.
As part of the evaluation, it will also perform a substantive analysis of the feasibility and potential costs and benefits arising from any changes to the scope of the Regulation, in particular with regard to the possible deletion of the exclusion of electronically supplied services the main feature of which is the provision of access to or use of copyright protected works or other protected subject matter from Article 4(1)(b) where the trader has the required rights for the relevant territories, taking due account of the likely impacts any extension of the scope of the Regulation would have on consumers and businesses, and on the sectors concerned, across the European Union. The Commission will also carefully analyse whether in other sectors, including those not covered by Directive 2006/123/EC which are also excluded from the scope of the Regulation pursuant to its Article 1(3), such as services in the field of transport and audio-visual services, any remaining unjustified restrictions based on nationality, place of residence or place of establishment should be eliminated.
If in the evaluation the Commission comes to the conclusion that the scope of the Regulation needs to be amended, the Commission will accompany it with a legislative proposal accordingly.