Commissioner for health and consumer protection David Byrne has told a conference in Dublin that European consumers continue to have little trust in e-commerce.
He was commenting on a Eurobarometer poll released today, which showed that only 16% of EU citizens make use of e-commerce.
The commissioner said growth was being inhibited because consumers felt less protected when purchasing from abroad and did not know enough about their protection within the single market.
But he also told an e-commerce conference at Dublin Castle that too many businesses in Europe still did not have a service-oriented approach to their customers.
'It should not need laws for firms to provide basic remedies such as refunds,' said Mr Byrne.
The commissioner said progress was being made on an EU directive on unfair commercial practices. He also referred to proposals for a comprehensive legal framework for payments in the EU.
