NGOs Urge EU to Reject Amazon’s Proposal to End Anti-trust Charges, Citing Loopholes

A group of 11 non-governmental bodies has urged the EU regulators to reject Amazon’s proposal to halt anti-trust charges, citing loopholes.

The NGOs who wrote the EU, disclosed that the proposals were too vague, which leaves room for evasion and abuse by the e-commerce company.

They further urged the EU to force Amazon to split its marketplace from its retail and logistics operations in order to address concerns about its dominance and control over interrelated services.

The statement reads “We urge the European Commission to reject Amazon’s commitments outright and in full, and instead continue vigorously to pursue its antitrust cases against Amazon, imposing remedies and penalties (on the Commission’s own terms) as necessary.

“They are weak, vague, and full of loopholes, leaving too much room for evasion and abuse by Amazon. Moreover, the proposed limitation of these commitments to five years, or indeed any time horizon at all, is unjustifiable”.

The European Union (EU) had earlier charged Amazon with anti-trust charges, where it disclosed that the e-commerce platform misused its position to compete against third-party businesses by misusing seller data.

In a response to the charges filed against the company, it has been consistently making some significant commitments in an attempt to escape fines from the EU as a result of its breach of seller data.

The company admitted to claims from the EU and has pledged to avoid using private seller data in situations where there’s competition with Marketplace shops, whether it is obtained through automated tools or employee access.

Amazon trying to leave no stone unturned has also promised “non-discriminatory” terms for third parties selling to Prime subscribers, including a choice in delivery and logistics services.

The e-commerce platform through one of its commitments, vowed “equal treatment” when ranking sellers in the Buy Box section that will enable consumers to quickly purchase goods.

The European Commission is asking for public feedback on Amazon proposals that theoretically give third-party sellers a better chance of competing with Amazon’s direct sales.

Comments on the proposals will remain open until September 9th. Whatever conditions the EU accepts, will remain effective for five years with oversight by a trustee reporting to the Commission.