The creation of an integrated single market of over 500 million consumers has been a huge success for Europe and brought choice, innovation and prosperity for Europeans, but it needs sensible, efficient regulation to ensure it works for citizens. New technological and economic developments must help tackle social inequalities and discrimination, create jobs, and promote openness, fairness, transparency, sustainability and accountability in our society.
The S&Ds are champions of stronger consumer protection, especially for vulnerable groups. We will keep fighting for better information and protection for consumers to make sure citizens can have confidence in the goods and services available in the EU.
In 2017, the S&D led negotiations with national governments that resulted in Parliament succeeding in lowering the prices operators charge each other for customers travelling to another EU country. This regulation was complemented in 2018 by ensuring that there will also be a price cap for international calls. This was a victory for European consumers.
In response to the Dieselgate scandal, which had revealed serious loopholes in the system set up for approving and surveilling new cars, the Socialists and Democrats took the lead in tightening up the rules to better protect consumers and the environment, and restore faith in the car industry.
In order to allow consumers access to a wide variety of goods and services, we fought for the prohibition of geo-blocking. Now consumers can buy products and services online, without restrictions due to geographical location. The S&D successfully lead the battle to protect consumers when they purchase digital products and services. We also managed to extend the protection of consumers to goods and services, which are seemingly free, but in reality consumers' data is being exploited.
The S&D Group successfully led the negotiations in establishing a single digital gateway to reduce administrative burden for citizens and businesses across the EU, by allowing citizens to access information and procedures in a single place, regardless of their residence in the EU.
Through this legislation, the S&Ds secured a better emphasis on rights for consumers, underlining why they must be given relevant information about delivery options such as pricing, choice and how to complain when things go wrong.
We ensured protection for citizens online and secure electronic communications and networks, especially for small businesses, as well as affordable and accessible connectivity for everyone in the EU.
We have also supported the implementation of the Services Directive, the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive and the Public Procurement package to strengthen the internal market.
The European Union is experiencing a digital revolution that impacts on our daily lives - politically, socially, economically and culturally. We believe that Europe needs a balanced digital policy to ensure that Europe keeps its core values. As technology changes and modernisation can be disruptive, new digital policies need to be shaped in order to achieve Europe's true potential and ensure that new digital opportunities are accessible to all and not just the powerful and wealthy.
The benefits of the digital economy must benefit all our communities - both in Europe and globally. We need to support disadvantaged and less digitally literate citizens and increase access to digital public services - even in remote locations - to ensure that citizens who cannot access the internet are not left behind.
To achieve these aims, we are calling for:
- proper regulation for the 'sharing economy'
- assessment and measures on the role of online sharing platforms in the market
- a review of the Misleading and Comparative Advertisement Directive
- a plan for improved technical standards in the Digital Single Market
- an action plan to promote e-government, providing better services for citizens and businesses
- new working methods (protecting social and employment rules) and funding for (re)training to create jobs for all
- EU digital law that is trusted, fair and responsible, by agreeing the Data Protection Regulation
- a coordinated, fair and sustainable taxation policy in the digital economy
We want to promote a new holistic vision for the single market. A green, knowledge-based social market economy that can improve the wellbeing of European citizens. Our vision includes practical measures to guarantee equal treatment and social inclusion, the creation of sustainable jobs and growth and a high level of consumer protection.
We support:
- a new internal market strategy for goods and services
- extending the EU's 'geographical indication' protection to non-agricultural products
- a new proposal for an International Procurement Instrument to ensure our trading partners respect clear and fair rules
- improving the Remedies Directives to ensure bidders can get redress when contracts have been awarded unfairly
- Moving forward with the Product Safety and Market Surveillance Directives
- improving market surveillance in order to make sure that only safe and compliant products are sold to consumers, including online.
