Home Shopping in the Single European Market — Foundering in the Wake of Neo-Liberalism

Retailing is a large and important element of the European economy, yet it continues to receive scant attention from the European Union (EU). This neglect suggests a disregard for the retail sector’s politico-economic significance vis-à-vis the ‘completion’ of the Single European Market (SEM). This chapter, preceded by a brief review of retailing and home shopping 1 within the EU, takes a critical look at the European Commission’s policy for this sector, and in the process offers an explanation for the lack of substantive activity relating to the European integration of retailing. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.