110 NEWSLETTER 2021 (iv) related services offered by the marketplaces (v) unfair business practices (vi) the tendency of marketplaces and sellers to take part in hub and spoke cartels Consumer concerns are analyzed under the following sub-headings: (i) price related concerns (ii) consumer dependency and loyalty practices (iii) data related concerns (iv) concerns related to a decrease in innovation The last section of the Report focuses on the policy recommendations for the above-mentioned problems. The exceptionally innovative content of these policy recommendations makes them thoughtworthy. The policy recommendations are presented under three main headings: • reviewing and updating secondary legislation in order to eliminate the uncertainties in the implementation of the existing competition law rules as regards platforms and to enhance implementation • adopting a “Platform Code of Conduct” regulation to deal with the asymmetric bargaining power dominating the sector, and to serve as a reference in bilateral relations • determining the undertakings operating as gatekeepers and implementing ex ante legislation which embodies the behavior they are obliged to avoid Before moving on to policy recommendations, the theoretical framework for e-marketplaces is also covered in the last section. This part highlights the future projections as regards the development of the platforms, the results achieved and, most importantly, the problems resulting from the market power of some e-marketplaces. The Report hereby aims to understand public opinion on policy recommendations and ultimately shape them. In many ways, the policy recommendations to be presented in the section below signal a change in the current
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