The European Parliament today backed new rules to ensure customers can access their online content and subscriptions when they travel to another EU country.

S&D Group spokesperson for the portability file, Victor Negrescu said:

“We have voted today to ensure citizens can access their content wherever they are in the EU, while also not damaging copyright protection. This brings our rules into the digital age. Citizens travelling across Europe will no longer get frustrating messages telling them that 'unfortunately this content is not available in your current location.' 

“The European Commission estimates this will immediately benefit around 6% of the EU population who travel, work or study abroad. This is 30 million people and by 2020 could be as many 71 million, as more and more people purchase online subscriptions and services. This is an important step forward and shows citizens how the EU can bring practical benefits to their daily lives.”

S&D spokesperson for legal affairs, Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann, added:

“The S&D Group has fought hard to ensure that these rules are strong and I would like to thank my colleagues Victor Negrescu and Dietmar Köster for their excellent work. We have ensured that there is no time limitation on using content so that not only tourists, but also students on an Erasmus term or people working abroad, can benefit from these rules.  We also managed to secure strong protections for consumers’ rights and strong data protection standards.”

MEPs involved
Member
Romania