Cross-border Cooperation Lars Grndal, Acting Deputy Director - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Cross-border Cooperation

Lars Grøndal, Acting Deputy Director General

Tokushima, Sept. 5th 2019

Norway

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Norway

• Norwegians frequently shop cross-border
• By car to Sweden
• Online
• Travelling abroad
• It is therefore very important for Norwegian consumers that

Norway is actively participating in cross-border consumer cooperation

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Card payments 2018: 960,6 billion NOK

Abroad In Norway

Cross-border consumer cooperation

• Policy
• Norwegian Ministry and The Norwegian Consumer Council
• OECD, Consumer Policy Network, Consumers International
• E.g. The Norwegian Consumer Council on TED talks about digital rights:

https://www.forbrukerradet.no/side/the-norwegian-consumer-council-holds- a-halloween-ted-talk/

• Enforcement
• The Norwegian Consumer Authority (NCA)
• International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) and

Consumer Protection Cooperation (EU)

• E.g. case against Airbnb

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The NCA vs. Airbnb

• 2013:
• Airbnb launches its services to Norwegian consumers
• Sharing/collaborative economy is much debated
• 2015:
• ICEPN meeting in Manchester where Australian Competition and

Consumer Commission provides info on Airbnb's drip pricing

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The NCA vs. Airbnb

• 2016:
• NCA finds that Airbnb's price info is in breach of the Norwegian

Marketing Act and sends letter to Airbnb. Airbnb disagrees.

• NCA starts cooperating with other Nordic countries
• Pricing practices also contrary to Unfair Commercial Practices Directive
• NCA initiates discussions with other European consumer authorities and

the EU Commission through the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (CPC)

• 2017:
• European Consumer Authorities and EU Commission tries to find a

common position

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The NCA vs. Airbnb

• 2018:
• Letter is sent to Airbnb with common position and negotiations starts
• 2019:
• Airbnb agrees to change it practices in accordance with the common

position

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The NCA vs. Airbnb

• Common position:
• Price information must contain all mandatory taxes and fees
• Identification of traders and commercial intent
• Email address and link to online dispute resolution platform
• Consumers jurisdiction
• Limitations on liability
• Not unilateral change of terms and conditions
• Give notice before user generated content is removed
• Must have sufficient reason to unilateral terminate an agreement
• For more info: https://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-19-

3990_en.htm

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The NCA vs. Airbnb

• What did we learn?
• It takes time and resources to reach a common position between

authorities, even when the regulation is the same

• There are well functioning networks that facilitate discussions and

cooperation

• Someone must take the lead and use sufficient resources

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