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EU to probe cross-border e-commerce barriers

The EU's competition watchdog announced plans Thursday for a probe into whether companies are creating barriers to stop consumers buying online from other countries.

Competition Commissioner Margarethe Vestager said she expected to launch the investigation in May and that it would be completed in mid-2016.

Although half of all EU consumers shopped online last year, only 15 percent bought from sellers based in other member states in the 28-nation bloc, the European Union said.

"It is high time to remove remaining barriers to e-commerce, which is a vital part of a true digital single market in Europe," Vestager said in a statement.

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"To better understand how online markets work and where are the obstacles to competition, I will propose... the launch of a sector inquiry into e-commerce."

Internet giants like Amazon and Google have been targeted by previous anti-trust probes by the European Commission, the EU's powerful executive arm.

The Commission did not name any firms in relation to the new probe, but cited "indications that some companies may be taking measures to restrict cross-border e-commerce."

European consumers may be prevented from accessing a particular website based on their residence or credit-card details, it said.

After the initial general probe is completed next year the Commission could then take on specific cases of "restrictive business practices and abuse of dominant market positions."

Europe as a bloc is the world's biggest economy, but despite its 500 million potential consumers it largely remains a divided continent of 28 distinct economies, especially when it comes to media and the Internet.

Across the EU, digital services like music streaming site Spotify or shopping behemoth Amazon, often remain confined to national borders, with separate accounts required from one country to another.

On Wednesday Brussels separately announced an ambitious plan to overhaul Europe's fragmented digital landscape and make all online media available across the EU.