EAEU countries agree on draft document setting internal common rules on e-commerce

MOSCOW. Dec 10 (Interfax) - The countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) have reached agreement on a draft document regarding e-commerce in goods on union territory which sets unified requirements for the operations of EAEU marketplaces.

The draft document was agreed upon following a meeting of a high-level working group, the trade block of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) said.

The agreement stipulates that both physical and digital goods as well as services related to e-commerce will be freely moved and provided within the EAEU, and member states will not impose any tariff-based, non-tariff or other restrictions on sellers of goods and marketplaces that are not outlined in the union's treaty, the EEC said.

At the same time, marketplaces must not create discriminatory conditions for sellers and buyers from other EAEU countries.

"The main goal of the agreement is to reduce the risks of barriers to the free movement of e-commerce goods due to the absence of a comprehensive union-wide law in this area and the active development of national legal frameworks in the member states," EEC Minister for Trade Andrei Slepnev said.

It is expected that EAEU countries will approve a set of supranational rules as part of the agreement.

Public offers, product cards, order information and returns of goods and money will be processed according to general rules. It is anticipated that sellers and marketplaces will be able to standardize their business processes on a unified platform, the commission said.

Consumer rights protection in e-commerce will be implemented in accordance with the legislation of the country where the consumer is located.

A unified regulation will be introduced for the EAEU regarding the return period of goods, which will be set at within 14 days.

The agreement will also include measures to limit spam mailings, mandatory protection of personal data, and provide tools for pre-trial dispute resolution based on associations of professional market participants and societies for protecting consumer rights.