ANEC, the European consumer voice in standardisation

ANEC is the European consumer voice in standardisation. This means we represent the European consumer interest in the creation of technical standards, especially those developed to support the implementation of European laws and public policies.

Toys: who 'plays' with chemicals? — 28 November 2012, 14:06 CET

In the weeks before Christmas, many parents will have the annual pleasure of choosing the right toys for their children. Although the new Toy Safety Directive, which entered into force in July 2011, certainly brought some improvements to toy safety in Europe, ANEC calls upon policy makers to take the health of children more seriously by significantly strengthening the chemical requirements for toys.

Consumers wrong-footed on environmental footprint — 31 May 2012, 17:48 CET

ANEC has published a detailed critique of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a measure of environmental impacts: "Environmental assessment goes astray. A critique of environmental footprint methodology and its ingredients", and calls on the European Commission to re-think its approach to environmental assessment.

The New European Consumer Agenda: the start of a 'Consumer Spring'? — 23 May 2012, 17:30 CET

"ANEC welcomes the proposal of the European Commission, unveiled today, to strengthen consumer confidence and put consumers at the centre of the Single Market", said ANEC Secretary-General, Stephen Russell.

Towards a better standard — 22 March 2012, 15:45 CET

The Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee of the European Parliament (IMCO) today adopted a Legislative Report on the revision of the present regulatory framework for European Standardisation. ANEC welcomes the adoption of the Report and its measures to strengthen the voice of consumers in the European Standardisation System.

Cashing in the consumer protection dividend — 15 March 2012, 20:53 CET

To mark International Consumers Day, ANEC calls for European safety legislation to provide consumers with a system of protection they can trust. This entails ensuring the safety of products along the whole production chain, from the assessment of risks to which all categories of consumers are exposed, to effective checks on products before they are sold to consumers.

Hotel fire safety still not certain — 03 November 2011, 18:46 CET

Twenty-five years after the EU Recommendation 86/666/EC on fire safety in hotels, and 20 months after the adoption of the HOTREC MBS Methodology – guidelines for fire safety in Europe, consumers are still waiting for a more binding instrument able to achieve their expectations on safety. ANEC questions the claim that hoteliers are using the MBS Methodology and welcomes the recommendation of the European Parliament to look for regulatory solutions if self-regulation fails.

Christmas this year should be that bit safer for children — 16 June 2011, 17:24 CET

ANEC, the European Consumer Voice in Standardisation, welcomes the adoption and publication of the new toy safety standard EN 71-1:2011. This European Standard replaces EN 71-1:2005. It is the first European Standard published that takes into account the provisions of the new Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC, which will become applicable as of 20 July 2011.

European Commission needs to define what nanomaterials are in order to offer consumers effective protection — 29 March 2011, 14:10 CET

ANEC welcomes the "Safety for Success Dialogue" high-level international conference, hosted by the European Commission in Brussels today, as a means of taking stock of the fast-advancing science needed for appropriate and effective policies. However, we believe that the starting point of any sound regulatory approach is agreement on a definition of what exactly nanomaterials and nanotechnologies are.

Three years on from the European Decision, millions of lighters are STILL potentially dangerous — 11 March 2011, 22:39 CET

Millions of lighters sold in the EU are still potentially dangerous, three years after the introduction of a European Decision to stop lighters that fail to comply with minimum standards being offered by retailers. According to the European Commission, up to 40 deaths and 1,900 injuries each year in the EU are caused by lighters. Furthermore, the victims are often children.

The smartphone charger: not so smart? — 10 February 2011, 11:42 CET

ANEC welcomes the delivery of the first smartphone chargers in accordance with the voluntary agreement signed by fourteen mobile phone producers in June 2009. But we regret that there is still no universally-compatible charger for mobile phones, other than smartphones, nor for other small electronic devices. Moreover, the producers have not committed to sell the chargers separately from the mobile phones themselves.

World Standards Day: "Accessibility for All" — 12 October 2010, 13:19 CET

Standards should implement Design for All principles to meet the needs of consumers of all ages and abilities, ANEC, the European consumer voice in standardisation, said today. Celebrating World Standards Day, this year dedicated to "Accessibility for All", ANEC warned that most standards for mainstream products and services still fail to make products accessible for older and disabled consumers.