6. Stresses the need to encourage new, high-quality e-government services by adopting innovative technological solutions such as e-procurement, thereby facilitating the seamless delivery of information and services; emphasises the importance of the draft regulation proposed by the Commission on electronic identification and electronic trust services, given its contribution to the digital single market through the creation of appropriate conditions for the mutual recognition of, and a high level of security for, key enablers across borders, for example through electronic identification, electronic documents, electronic signatures and ele ...[+++]ctronic delivery services, and for interoperable e-government services across the Union;

With the on-going developments in consumer electronics, the lines between digital devices are fading away.

25. Calls on the Commission to identify the existing barriers to crossborder delivery services, and to take appropriate actions to address them, taking account of the findings of the new study that has been conducted and in a way that will allow both businesses and consumers to fully benefit from the Digital Single Market; stresses that such factors as accessibility, reliability, speed of delivery, friendly service, an efficient and transparent returns system, and lower prices of crossborder delivery services are best promoted by free and fair competition, so as not to hinder crossborder trade and to increase consumer trust; considers that crossborder delivery services should not just be based on physical borders, but, where feasible, sho ...[+++]uld also take account of the distance from the consumer; considers it essential to ensure innovative forms of delivery allowing greater flexibility in terms of choosing a time or place of collection or a possible pick-up point with no additional costs attached; believes it is crucial to consider measures guaranteeing reasonably priced delivery to more remote or outlying areas;

L. whereas European consumer and business confidence in the digital environment is low due to unnecessary barriers to e-commerce such as fragmentation of the EU market, consumers' uncertainty about data confidentiality, security of transactions and consumer rights in case of problems, and whereas in certain aspects of e-commerce Europe is lagging behind the United States and Asia; whereas the creation of a ‘Digital Single Market’, facilitating transactions across national borders in an on-line environment for all consumers across the European Union, is an important part of the reinvigoration of the Single Market as it provides citizens ...[+++] with a wider choice of products and services, whereas overcoming barriers to cross-border e-commerce and boosting consumer confidence is essential to achieving an attractive, integrated digital single market for Europe and stimulating consumer markets and the broader economy,

Taking into account also the public hearing on consumer confidence in the digital environment held on 24 January 2007, Parliament considers that Europe is at crucial stage that will determine whether the EU will transform the internal market in the globalised and virtually border-free digital environment into a comparative advantage over other world competitors or whether the internal market and the (currently 27) isolated national markets in the digital environment will represent more of an obstacle for the EU to fully developing the information society and the Lisbon strategy.

Visas can only be issued at the external borders (2.1.1.8, paragraph (35) CSWD) in exceptional cases.