EU fleshes out WTO’s e-commerce proposal

BRUSSELS, May 07 (Reuters): The European Union began a push for improved protection for traders and consumers involved in online transactions, as it published proposals launching what are likely to be long and hard World Trade Organisation negotiations on regulating e-commerce.

The WTO rulebook was largely written in the 1980s and 1990s before the internet revolution, and major trading powers have conflicting red lines over e-commerce.

Of the WTO's 164 members, 77 have agreed to try to bring the rules up to date.

The nine-page EU proposal would aim to strengthen consumer confidence in online transactions, keep internet access open, and shield traders from attempts to restrict data flows or seize their data and source code.

Businesses and consumers had to rely on a patchwork of bilateral or regional rules and a global framework was needed, the European Commission (EC) said.

The United States is pushing for rapid reform of the WTO.