Why the EU needs to act

Online shoppers and retailers continue to be confronted with high prices for deliveries to another EU country. Rates for parcels sent from one EU country to another can be up to five times higher than domestic prices.

In addition, there can be significant differences when shipping a parcel from two different EU countries to the same destination. For example sending a 2kg parcel from Belgium to Italy would cost €32.8 while the same package sent from the Netherlands to Italy would cost €13.

How the current situation affects consumers and retailers

The lack of transparency in the sector might encourage postal operators to charge unreasonably high prices, which could also prevent small firms from trading in other EU countries. It could also stop consumers from making informed choices and from having access to a wider range of products, affecting especially those living in remote areas.

This is not only about online shopping. It also affects everyone sending a package to friends or relatives living in another EU country.

What Parliament is doing

On Tuesday 13 March MEPs adopted a proposal to make the cross-border parcel delivery market more transparent and competitive and to reduce the barriers consumers and e-retailers encounter when purchasing products online in the EU.