European retail action plan underway (EU)

The European Commission has indicated it will table a European Retail Action Plan by the end of the year. The basis of the action plan will come from the Parliament's report on a more efficient and fairer retail market and from the commission's Retail Market Monitoring Report.

The action plan will take stock of the ongoing initiatives developed by the commission and will set up a list of actions within a suggested timeline intended to help the retail sector achieve its full potential. Regulation will only address some of the issues.

The commission's plan will attempt to address the malfunctioning of the retail market, notably the lack of enforcement of free movement of goods and the existence of important price differences across the EU. They also will address urban planning systems' lack of coordination, which affects accessibility of retail outlets for citizens and establishment of retailers. Other issues covered in the action plan relate to the development of e-commerce and the regulatory divergences across Europe concerning unfair practices between businesses.

The action plan will also focus on the integration of environmental costs in the supply chain, which could include among other things the split incentives to building renovations between owners and tenants.

In order to shape these initiatives, the commission has organized a series of workshops on urban planning and barriers to establishment (in which ICSC participated), B2B practices and sustainability.

Source: European Commission

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