eBay Inc. Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Government Relations, Tod Cohen, spoke at the 6^th annual European e-Commerce conference in Brussels on 18 November. At the same occasion, Tod also launched eBay’s new brochure that tells the stories of some of our European sellers and delivers their messages to European policy makers.

The message is clear. In order to boost technology-enabled growth, European policy makers need to act upon the identified digital single market priorities:

• The Commission should stop manufacturers who restrict distribution and consumer choice in e-Commerce
• EU legislators should adopt balanced intellectual property laws to empower European consumers to access the global e-Commerce market
• The Commission needs to protect and support the digital economy and society through a balanced liability framework
• The Commission should safeguard the home state principle as a cornerstone of the Digital Single Market
• The Commission should regulate payment services in an innovation-friendly way

In his speech, Tod talked about embracing the Internet opportunity and the new Commission’s strong commitment to do so. He pointed out that “It is important to address the fact that the traditional economic growth model, which is too reliant on large corporate institutions to deliver job creation, is not delivering enough growth. Leaders must take advantage of the promise of Internet and digital technology to empower smaller, vibrant, entrepreneurial enterprises spread across all countries and regions to fill that growth gap.”

What is particularly exciting about a future built on the internet model is that a small business or entrepreneur, based anywhere in Europe, even in the most remote region, can reach and serve the same customer base as a large business operating out of a major city. Small aspiring firms can now enjoy the benefits of “going global” while remaining local, and bring the benefits of that commerce back to their local communities. Exporting is also a powerful learning wheel, allowing entrepreneurs to specialize and increase productivity based on real market testing.

Tod further highlighted that these ‘micro-multinationals’ need:

• Enabling services: online marketplaces, electronic payment methods, marketing & translation services
• Logistics services: simplified and digital customs processes, harmonized shipping regimes, affordable & reliable cross-border shipping
• Internet connectivity: investment in interconnected broadband and smartphone technology
• A supportive policy framework: intermediary liability exemption regimes, SME-friendly free trade agreements, raised de minimis thresholds for customs duties, balanced intellectual property regimes

“The political will to embrace the digital opportunity exists. We have seen this in the confirmation process of the Juncker Commission, in interventions of leading Members of the European Parliament, and in conclusions of the European Council. What we now need is discipline in execution and strong leadership that steers the EU towards a true digital single market. We believe the new institutional set-up introduced by Juncker, in which the digital portfolio will have two leaders in the Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, Andrus Ansip, and the Commissioner for Digital Economy & Society, Günther Oettinger, will provide for the right impetus”, Tod concluded.