As the COO of Lookeen, an SMB that sells software worldwide, I think that the single digital market is one of the best ideas the commission has had. The fact that only 7% of SMBs sell cross-border should not be an indication of need, but an indication of the barriers that exist to European commerce. The digital single market can create up to 415 billion Euros in additional growth. Most of that growth will be in the technology and ecommerce sectors, but it will also affect many small businesses. It’s a chance to level the playing field for European business and increase competition. I’ve written about many of the changes that are planned and the effects they will have on European and American businesses:

EU General Data Protection Regulation 

Safe Harbor Ruling 

Idea:

It seems that the EU Commission has recently backpedaled on the issue of geoblocking. Surely this would be a fundamental right under the principal of non-censorship - why would the EU limit access to information for one country over another?

The commission is still working on the final wording which isn’t due until December 9th, but early versions don’t mention geoblocking at all. The Commission should be clear on regulations regarding importation of digital assets from third countries, such as the US, and what tariffs those assets would incur. Such regulations should be enforced EU-wide, instead of leaving each member country to decide for themselves. There can only be a true single digital market if each member country has equal access without censorship.

I applaud the European Commission for giving people a forum to express their views and look forward to their or others feedback.