European Commission accuses Amazon of violating EU competition rules

Due to book sales on Amazon at least 20% of bookstores are at risk of closing by the end of the year.

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While all the reconfigured countries in Europe hope to avoid the bankruptcy of their small businesses in the face of e-commerce giants, the European Commission accuses Amazon of having violated EU competition rules.

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With our correspondent in Brussels,

The American number one in internet sales disputes the accusations of the European Commission and claims to actively support the retail trade, that is to say the sellers who use its services.

But the EU believes Amazon has abused its dominant position.

It is in Germany and France that

is most noticeable according to the European Commission.

Over the past twelve months, 80% of German consumers who have made purchases online have done so through Amazon.

The proportion is 70% in France.

For the European administration in charge of competition, the problem lies in the functioning of the Amazon marketplace, that is to say the platform used by independent businesses to sell their products via the site of the American giant.

A second investigation opened

According to the Commission, the data of 800,000 sellers (shops, artisans, small businesses) have been accumulated by the Seattle firm.

This allows it

to focus on what sells best by adjusting its prices or by deciding what appeals to consumers the most.

The American firm is therefore accused of marginalizing external sellers and limiting their capacity for growth.

Amazon will have to respond to the grievances set out in these preliminary findings.

The disputes are all the less over since the Commission announced on Tuesday 10 November to open a second investigation.

It would focus on how outside sellers would be kept away from consumers who subscribed to the Amazon Prime loyalty program.

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