Internet commerce rules are under consideration for a modification in Belarus.
The Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade (MART) in Belarus has put forth a draft decree titled "On Improving Consumer Market Regulation" for public discussion. This decree aims to address the growing e-commerce sector in the country and ensure compliance with regulations.
The proposed changes affect Belarusian companies and individuals engaged in trade activities subject to the country’s regulations. As of the mentioned date, 19,349 legal entities and individual entrepreneurs are conducting retail trade through online stores, a number that has increased by 2.6 times from 2020 to 2025, reaching 30,990 as of January 1 of this year.
The draft decree focuses on regulating the consumer market, particularly e-commerce. It requires owners of online platforms to include information in the Trade Register. Foreign online platforms can only operate in Belarus after establishing a legal entity and including information about it as the owner of the online platform in the Trade Register.
Owners of online platforms will be responsible to consumers for selling goods of inadequate quality. They must also develop, approve, and coordinate a list of goods to ensure they are constantly available for sale.
The draft decree also proposes to lift the ban on placing advertising of certain duty-free products (alcoholic beverages, liquids for electronic smoking systems, etc.) on the websites of their owners.
In addition, the decree aims to establish rules for setting resale prices for export and re-imported goods. It gives the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade the right to limit access to online platforms in case of non-compliance with the requirements of the decree.
Legal entities and individual entrepreneurs in retail trade will also be required to submit documents to state bodies monitoring price law compliance. The draft decree stipulates that these retailers, whether legal entities or individual entrepreneurs, are predominantly legal entities, with 48.1% of these retailers falling into this category.
The increase in e-commerce in the country necessitates special attention from the state, and the draft decree is a step towards ensuring a regulated and safe online shopping environment for consumers. The public discussion on the draft decree is ongoing, and its final form will be determined based on feedback received.
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