France calls for EU to regulate Web giants to counter dominance [wages war against achievement]

Reuters ^ | Leila Abboud | September 19, 2013

[grundle]

PARIS (Reuters) - France is pushing for the European Union to regulate global internet companies like Google Inc (GOOG.O), Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and Facebook Inc (FB.O) more aggressively, to counter their growing dominance over online commerce and services.

In an interview published by Liberation newspaper on Thursday, France's minister for the digital economy, Fleur Pellerin, said Europe needed new regulatory powers to intervene much earlier, to level the playing field in the internet economy and allow the emergence of alternatives in Europe to U.S. Web giants.

She said Europe needed to be able to act quickly, as soon as problems are identified, rather than getting tied up in lengthy and costly disputes that did nothing to help consumers.

"The current tools of competition law are totally unsuited to the fast-changing world of the Internet," Pellerin said in the interview conducted in French. "To get out of this impasse, Europe needs a regulatory authority to act on an ex-ante basis, as soon as conflicts and abuse emerge on the part of internet platforms."

[grundle]

Instead of starting its own successful internet companies, France wants the EU to regulate successful internet companies in order to "level the playing field." This is a great example of the war against achievement.

[Paladin2]

France continues to shrink.

[KarlInOhio]

Have the government outlaw the better mousetrap and the world will have to beat a path to your door.

[Personal Responsibility]

Translated from the statist French:

We do not currently have the authority to regulate the Internet fast enough. We need to be able to regulate things faster.

[Gene Eric]

How about tax incentives for starters...

[SeminoleCounty]

France too reliant on Globalism...goes to EU to stop foreign encroachment....when the EU pushes foreign encroachment at the destruction of domestic businesses

The French can’t even be snobby anymore without clearing it first with the Free Trader Communist Globalist EU.

France should just encourage their own web startups...give them tax breaks over the foreigners. Free Traders and EU wont like it...but they hate anything domestic

[SeminoleCounty]

How about tax incentives for starters...

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Yes, the #1 solution....but EU laws and rules prohibit member nations from giving such benefits...