The sweep was a co-ordinated investigation of ticket sales operations by the European Union's 27 member states plus Norway and Iceland. Of the 414 sites that were checked, 247 were flagged for further investigation, the Commission said. They will be assessed for compliance with national and EU consumer protection laws.
Of the 73 UK sites checked, 22 will be investigated further.
The Commission said that it chose ticketing sites to investigate because they were the subject of so many complaints.
"The European Consumer Centres (ECCs) report that 30% of the complaints about online shopping which they handled concerned Recreation and Culture services, of which Cultural and Sport Events form a great part," said a Commission statement. "These were the key reasons why the network of national enforcement authorities (CPC) decided to pick this product category for their present joint exercise."
