EU Formally Agrees To End Geo-Blocking

The EU has formally agreed to end geo-blocking. The decision means that consumers engaging in cross-border ecommerce within the EU will no longer have to pay different prices if they are in different EU countries. Previously, businesses had been allowed to re-direct customers in other countries to other versions of their website and present them with different prices – a practice known as geo-blocking. Now, businesses will no longer be allowed to engage in geo-blocking and must offer the same prices to all EU customers, regardless of which EU country the customer is in. The agreement applies to three scenarios where it has been ruled that there is no justifiable reason for geo-blocking: the sale of goods without physical delivery, the sale of electronically-supplied services, and the sale of services provided in a specific location. The new rules will come into effect 9 months after they are published in the EU Official Journal. 

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