New and strong rules for online platforms to end 'digital Wild West'

“The European Parliament will send a strong signal that we want a Digital Single Market with clear rules, strong consumer protection and a business-friendly environment,” said Arba Kokalari MEP, ahead of today's (19 January) plenary debate on the Digital Services Act (DSA) in the European Parliament.

The EU rules on digital services, that include online services from websites to internet infrastructure services and online platforms, have remained largely unchanged since the adoption of the e-Commerce Directive in 2000.

“The new rules will put an end to the digital Wild West where the big platforms set the rules themselves and criminal content goes viral”, said Kokalari, who is negotiating the DSA on behalf of the EPP Group.

“We have achieved a great compromise to ensure that European digital companies can reach new customers easily and compete internationally. At the same time, it will lead to the more effective removal of illegal content, increase transparency for consumers, and strengthen the rights of users who have been mistreated by the big platforms”, added Kokalari.

The EPP Group stood up for small and medium-sized companies to save them from disproportionate obligations and to give them the chance to be exempt from some requirements by applying for a waiver.

"The DSA is a horizontal, technology-neutral Regulation with the long-term aim of avoiding the fragmentation of the Digital Single Market”, stressed Andreas Schwab MEP, the EPP Group's Spokesman for the EU's Internal market. “As the EPP Group, we are ensuring that consumers are protected online as they are protected offline. We want a proportionate approach, making sure that big online companies with a systemic risk take more responsibility for what happens on their platforms, while SMEs are not overburdened and prevented from growing and scaling-up", concluded Schwab.

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