As the EU continues to develop and implement major digital frameworks – from the Digital Fairness Act to the Digital Services Act – the assumption that all e-commerce service providers operate in similar ways remains largely unchallenged. Yet today’s digital ecosystem is marked by structural diversity. Online retailers, social media platforms, app stores, video-sharing services, online marketplaces, travel comparison sites, and collaborative economy platforms all serve different purposes, involve different actors, and generate very different types of risk.

Despite these differences, regulation is often drafted and applied in a horizontal, uniform way, leading to unintended overlaps, excessive burdens, or gaps in enforcement. This can hinder innovation and limit the effectiveness of rules that aim to protect consumers and ensure fairness in digital environments.

This event will explore how the EU can move toward a more risk-based, purpose-driven approach to the creation and implementation of digital regulation – one that accounts for differences in business models, data use, platform control, and user relationships. By examining real differences across service types, the event will provide practical insights into how digital rules can better target actual harms, avoid duplication, and promote outcomes that are both proportionate and policy-aligned.