Abstrakt
Non?discrimination is a guiding?principle of EU law. Nevertheless, its application to private individuals and business leads to a delicate balancing of the unequal treatment of consumers, on the one hand, and, on the other, of the fundamental rights as well as profitabilityof businesses. With exception of (unlikely) clear?cut cases of racism, or (the?not?so?rare) practices of international oligopolies, there is neither basis in the EU Treaties, nor in Article 20(2) of the Services Directive, for an obligation of businesses to deliver goods and offer services to every consumer and client within the internal market regardless of geographical location. The task of the EU is to facilitate, not obligate, use of the internal market.
It is therefore very doubtful whether the best course of action is to coerce businesses under the EU legislation to operate across Europe (or decree that the decisions not to operate in a particular Member States to be justified). Leaving rare exceptions aside, this would infringe the fundamental rights of businesses and be incompatible with the Treaties. Moreover,the EU would be politically gambling with its credibility. Any mandatory regime would meet with resistance from the business community. EU citizens may even resent the loss of high?street and local services. A much more promising prospect ? and one more in tune with the fundamental principles of the EU and its Member States ? would be to pursue means of facilitating the use of the Internal Market for both businesses and consumers alike. In this respect, the proposal for a Common European Sales Law or innovations on alternative and online dispute resolution are already leading the way.