The European Commission was consulting on how to make it easier for retailers to do business within the EU, particularly given the growth of e-commerce and the accelerate multi-channel retail environment. The consultation was originally announced in the April 2017 Roadmap on Best Practices on retail regulation. The Roadmap proposes the adoption of a set of (non-legislative) best practices which member states can use when assessing and modernising national rules on setting up and operating retail outlets.
The Commission is concerned about a lack of growth in the European retail sector, in particular when compared with the US, where less restrictive entry conditions apply.