The probe, which follows complaints from members of the public, is the
first move in a wider campaign against price discrimination in Europe, known as
geo-blocking.
It has emerged that in some cases French consumers are asked to pay
€1,346 (£953) for a premium package while Brits are charged €1,870 (£1,324) and
Germans €2,447 (£1,733).
The European Commission has ordered the French authorities to find out
whether the theme park is unfairly rigging prices
Consumers have accused Euro Disney of illegally blocking their
access to cheap deals available to residents of France or Belgium.
This is mostly achieved through residence-based payment and delivery
rules, selective offers or by redirecting consumers to their national websites.
ElzbietaBienkowska, the EU commissioner for the single market, is quoted
by the Financial Times as saying the complaints "were very significant,
particularly in one or two instances".
She added: "It is time to get to the bottom of this. I am
interested in answers and explanations. On the face of it, I struggle to see
what objective justification there could be for these practices."
Under EU rules prices can be varied according to nationality if there
are objective reasons, such as different market conditions or different holiday
periods.
Disneyland Paris said in a statement: "When purchased directly with
Disneyland Paris, the cost of a basic resort package - without promotional
offers - is identical across all markets, give or take exchange rates.
"Throughout the year we try to attract guests from different
markets by offering market-specific 'book-by' promotions that can include
discounts.
"Those promotions take into consideration factors specific to
people in the local market, such as their school holiday calendar and booking
patterns.
"Anyone aware of a promotion running in a market not local to them,
can contact the Central Reservations Office and request to make that specific
booking."
Brussels is also weighing up complaints against firms in the retail and
services sector including Amazon
Spanish hoteliers and Austrian ski-lift operators are also under the
microscope - along with Venice’s public lavatory system.