The report adds to the official warnings over leaving the European Union without a deal to cover ‘portability regulation’
The government has admitted that a ‘no deal’ Brexit will mean UK citizens are no longer covered by regulation allowing them to access their online accounts, such as Spotify and Netflix, while on holiday in the EU.
According to official documents gauging the likely impact of a ‘no deal’ Brexit across different sectors of the economy, the EU’s ‘portability’ regulation will no longer apply.
The existing setup, agreed in 2017, was designed for citizens to be able to access their online accounts that are based in one country while anywhere else within the union.
The dossier notes that: “The portability regulation will cease to apply to UK nationals when they travel to the EU.
“This means online content service providers will not be required or able to offer cross-border access to UK consumers under the EU Regulation.
“UK consumers may see restrictions to their online content services when they temporarily visit the EU.”
With the deadline for negotiations between the two parties set for March 2019, this news emphasises just how far-reaching the EU regulations stretch across everyday life, which must be mimicked in any eventual deal.
“For instance, a UK trader would be able to offer different terms to a UK customer compared to a French customer,” the document adds.
The regulation was designed to remove discrimination in how online users can access their accounts based on their nationality or place of residence, in what the EU dubbed as their ‘digital single market strategy’.
And the end to portability legislation in the UK isn’t the only warning put out by the government in this latest batch of dossiers, with fears over the smooth running of the Eurostar between London and Paris along with Northern Ireland’s access to electricity also being published.
