The European Commission has opened a public consultation on planned measures to address “territorial supply constraints” in the EU.
Territorial supply constraints refer to practices by some large manufacturers that restrict retailers or wholesalers from buying goods in one EU member state and reselling them in another.
The Commission said in a statement on Thursday that such practices can limit consumer choice and contribute to large price differences for everyday consumer goods across the bloc.
The issue was listed among the “Terrible Ten” — described as the most harmful barriers to the EU Single Market — in the Single Market Strategy adopted in May 2025.
The Commission added that it has committed to developing tools to tackle unjustified territorial supply constraints in cases that fall outside competition law.
Who can respond and how
Retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, public authorities, consumers, civil society organisations and academics are invited to submit views and experiences through the Commission’s “Have your say” portal.
The Commission said responses will feed into an ongoing impact assessment — a formal process used to weigh up policy options and their likely effects — and help shape proposed measures.
The consultation has initially been published only in English and will be open for 12 weeks, the Commission said.
It added that other language versions will follow and the 12-week period will restart once all EU language versions are available.
