Electronic (Distance) Trading and Its Elements: Analysis of Current Regulation and Legislative Initiatives

The article examines the phenomenon of electronic (distance) trading and its elements on the basis of doctrine, current legislation and legislative initiatives. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that this category is presented in a comprehensive manner: firstly, taking into account draft laws in retrospect (the legislative projects submitted for consideration by the legislator in the period from the early 2000s to 2024 are analyzed); secondly, taking into account the application of this category in the business and consumer spheres of legal relations. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate a variety of theoretical and legislative interpretations that reveal the features of electronic trading, to identify the state of legal regulation of electronic (distance) trading. The objectives of the study include the analysis of current legislation and individual draft laws, the formulation of proposals for improving legislation related to this topic. Research methods: formal-logical, formal-legal, linguistic-technical, systematic. As a result of the conducted research, the terms “electronic trading”, “e-commerce”, and “distance trading” are mixed in the scientific literature. Conclusions are drawn about the absence of a single unified conceptual framework in the norms of civil legislation on trade, consumer protection, and purchase and sale agreements in relation to electronic (distance) trading. Based on the analysis of the draft laws, proposals are made to improve legislation from the standpoint of legal formalization and legal unification on the stated issues.