Whenever a parcel has to be sent cross-border, the price for its delivery would increase significantly - regardless of the actual distance. Many Europeans therefore avoid shopping in another country. The EU wants to change that and created new rules for parcel delivery services.

Price comparison

According to the new regulation, every operator has to report several facts to the national authority, including the following:

• Name, address, contact details
• Characteristics and tariffs of the national and international delivery services
• Terms & Conditions and complaint handling procedures

This information will be published on a special website of the EU Commission. Consumers will be able to compare prices and conditions of all providers. Furthermore, this transparency will make it harder for rogue firms to maintain overpriced tariffs.

Small operators with less than 50 employees and only local services are excluded from the new rules.

Price regulation

The national authorities will compare the reported tariffs for cross-border delivery with those of national operators in both countries (departure and destination). The assessment of tariffs is concluded according to a set of criteria by the Commission. The authorities could request further information and proof from the operators. All results of the evaluation will be forwarded to the Commission who will publish a report on the website.

In Austria, the RTR (Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications) is the competent body for the evaluation and alternative dispute resolution regarding postal services, telecommunications and media.

At the right time

The new regulation comes at the right time: Not long ago, the EU agreed to end geoblocking (read more) to ensure cross-border online shopping without barriers. However, the respective regulation determines that - in some cases - consumers will have to take care of the delivery of their purchased goods themselves. Due to the improved price transparency, this task will become easier and cheaper.

The Council of the European Union as well as the European Parliament agreed upon the new regulation in April 2018. It therefore came into force on 22 May 2018, named "Regulation (EU) 2018/644 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 April 2018 on cross-border parcel delivery services".

Read more about the new rules for cross-border parcel delivery on the website of the EU Parliament. The full text of the regulation is available at this link.

Last update: 30.05.2018