Individual project

The European Union’s Digital Single Market Initiative
Creating a Digital Single Market (DSM) is one of the ten priorities of the European Commission (EC). The overall objective is to bring down barriers, regulatory or otherwise, and to unlock online opportunities in Europe, from eCommerce to e-government. By doing so, the EU hopes to do away with the current fragmented national markets and create one borderless market with harmonized legislation and rules for the benefit of businesses and consumers alike throughout Europe.
The EC set out its vision in its May 6, 2015 DSM Strategy which has been followed by several concrete legislative proposals and policy actions. They are broad reaching and include reforming eCommerce sector, VAT, copyright, audio-visual media services, consumer protection, and telecommunications laws. New legislation has already been finalized on portability of online content and geo-blocking.
Many DSM proposals are still going through the legislative process. DSM-related legislation will have a broad impact on U.S. companies doing business in Europe.
In addition, a new data protection legislation, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) entered into force on 25 May 2018 (see separate section in this report). The three main pillars of the strategy are:

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  Pillar I: Better access for consumers and businesses to digital goods and services across Europe; Better access for consumers and businesses to online goods and services across Europe; Remove key differences between the online and offline worlds to break down barriers to cross-border online activity.
  

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  Pillar II: Shaping the right environment for digital networks and services to flourish; Achieve high-speed, secure and trustworthy infrastructures and content services; Set the right regulatory conditions for innovation, investment, fair competition and a level playing field.
  

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  Pillar III: Creating a European Digital Economy and society with growth potential; Invest in technologies such as cloud computing and Big Data, and in research and innovation to boost industrial competitiveness and skills; Increase interoperability and standardization.