Consumer Policy in the EU

Latest news on the consumer policies of the European Union.

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New European driving licence hits the road from Saturday — 17 January 2013, 16:15 CET

A new European driving licence first agreed seven years ago by EU governments, finally takes to the roads across the continent on Saturday, says the Commission.

MEPs take airlines to task over hand luggage — 17 January 2013, 16:14 CET

Too big, too heavy, too many -- European travellers are being taken for a ride by airlines charging what they like for carry-on baggage and the EU should standardise the rules, MEPs said Thursday.

Towards a new EU law on Tobacco Products — 19 December 2012, 17:34 CET

The European Commission on 18 December adopted a landmark proposal to revise the EU Tobacco Products Directive. The proposal is a substantial revision of the current EU law and proposes new and strengthened rules on tobacco products.

French 'gruyere' gets EU trademark go-ahead — 07 December 2012, 14:33 CET

French producers of "Gruyere" cheese have won recognition for their produce under an all-important regional trading name system but it will have to have holes, unlike Swiss Gruyere.

Eurozone economic sentiment rises in November — 29 November 2012, 12:46 CET

European business and consumer confidence rose consistently in November, with Germany leading the way among major eurozone economies, says the European Union.

Online gambling in the Internal Market — 23 October 2012, 17:38 CET

The European Commission today unveiled an action plan, with a series of initiatives over the next two years aimed at clarifying the regulation of online gambling and encouraging cooperation between EU Member States. Online gambling is one of the fastest growing service activities in the EU, with annual growth rates of almost 15% and an estimated EUR 13 billion in annual revenues in 2015.

Food safety watchdog among four slammed by EU court — 11 October 2012, 22:11 CET

The European Court of Auditors has criticised the EU agency responsible for genetically-modified foods authorisations, currently at the centre of a row over a French study linking GM corn to cancer in rats.

EU adopts list of approved flavouring substances — 02 October 2012, 14:12 CET

Flavouring substances in food will become even safer and more transparent thanks to two pieces of legislation adopted today by the European Commission. Only those flavouring substances featuring on the approved lists will be permitted for use by the food industry. Used to alter the taste and/or odour of food, flavourings substances have a long history of safe use in a wide variety of foods, such as soft drinks, confectionery, cereals, cakes and yoghurts, and have now been evaluated at EU level. These two new pieces of legislation will clarify and harmonise the use of flavouring substances within the single market: The first Regulation1 provides for a new EU wide list of flavouring substances which can be used in food and will apply from 22 April 2013, giving time for the EU food industry to adapt to the new rules. All flavouring substances not in the list will be prohibited after a phasing out period of 18 months. The second Regulation2 concerns transitional measures for other flavourings such as flavourings made from non-food sources and will apply from 22 October 2012. The new list includes over 2,100 authorised flavouring substances. A further 400 will remain on the market until EFSA concludes its evaluation. These have been used for a long time and have already been assessed as safe by other scientific bodies.

Banks must 'separate deposits from high-risk trades' — 02 October 2012, 14:15 CET

Banks would have to separate consumer deposit-taking from high risk trading for the financial sector under EU reforms proposed by the governor of the Bank of Finland, unveiled Tuesday.

Business, consumers gloomier about eurozone economy — 27 September 2012, 13:55 CET

European business and consumer confidence fell further in September, although Spain posted an improvement, the European Union said on Thursday.

Parliament wants new standardised EU passenger rights law — 18 September 2012, 17:43 CET

Members of the European Parliament called Tuesday on the EU Commission to legislate to improve passenger rights on transport within Europe.

Eurozone economic sentiment slumps in August — 30 August 2012, 11:40 CET

European business and consumer confidence fell sharply in August, with Spain reporting the biggest drop among major eurozone economies while France saw a rise.

Unilever sees 'return to poverty' in Europe: newspaper — 27 August 2012, 13:06 CET

Dutch food and cosmetics giant Unilever expects poverty to rise in Europe as a result of the eurozone crisis and is rethinking its marketing, according to a newspaper report Monday.

CE Marking — 01 August 2012, 18:52 CET

What do your cell phone, your TV and your kid’s teddy bear have in common? If you have purchased these items within the European Economic Area ("EEA", consisting of the 27 EU Member States, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), you will find two letters on all of these products: CE. Product manufacturers are familiar with this marking, as in many cases they have to affix it to their products. As a consumer, you may know this marking, as you see it on many products you purchase every day. The CE marking is required for many products. It states that the product is assessed before being placed on the market and meets EU safety, health and environmental protection requirements. On this website the European Commission provides economic operators and consumers with information on how the process of affixing the CE marking on a product works. As a manufacturer, this website will lead you through the process of affixing the CE marking to your specific product, by clearly illustrating the key steps to undertake from the beginning to the trading of the product. If you are a distributor or importer you will have to know the requirements that the products you are importing or distributing must meet to be traded freely within the EEA.

EU ups anti-trust war against Visa credit-card fees — 01 August 2012, 18:55 CET

EU anti-trust officials stepped up Tuesday a long-running probe into Visa credit-card fees, fresh from a court victory over debit-card fees which the company agreed to cap.

Eurozone economic sentiment slides in July — 30 July 2012, 20:26 CET

Business and consumer confidence in Europe slid in July, with Germany suffering the biggest fall as the eurozone debt crisis threatened Spain, the European Union said on Monday.

Consumer protection in financial services - Undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS) – improved requirements for depositaries and fund managers — 05 July 2012, 12:30 CET

The European Commission has presented a legislative package that raises standards in financial services and removes loopholes for the benefit of consumers. Specifically, the package proposes new, consumer-friendly standards for information about investments, raises standards for advice, and tightens certain rules on investment funds to ensure their safety. The original UCITS Directive created the internal market for investment funds in Europe. The current EU legislation for investment funds (the UCITS Directive) has been the basis for an integrated market facilitating the cross-border offer of collective investment funds. Managing almost €6 trillion in assets2, UCITS have proved successful and are widely used by European retail investors. UCITS are also regularly sold to investors outside the EU where they are valued due to their high level of investor protection. The Commission's proposed amendments to the current UCITS rules are based on the experience from the financial crisis, so as to continue to ensure the safety of investors and the integrity of the market. In particular, the proposal will ensure that the UCITS brand remains trustworthy by ensuring that the depositary's (the asset-keeping entity) duties and liability are clear and uniform across the EU3. Today's proposal addresses three areas: a precise definition of the tasks and liabilities of all depositaries acting on behalf of a UCITS fund; clear rules on the remuneration of UCITS managers: the way they are remunerated should not encourage excessive risk-taking. Remuneration policy will be better linked with the long-term interest of investors and the achievement of the investment objectives of the UCITS; and a common approach to how core breaches of the UCITS legal framework are sanctioned, introducing common standards on the levels of administrative fines so as to ensure they always exceed potential benefits derived from the violation of provisions.

Consumer protection in financial services - Insurance Mediation Directive (IMD) Revision — 05 July 2012, 12:27 CET

The European Commission has presented a legislative package that raises standards in financial services and removes loopholes for the benefit of consumers. Specifically, the package proposes new, consumer-friendly standards for information about investments, raises standards for advice, and tightens certain rules on investment funds to ensure their safety. The Commission is proposing a revision of the IMD, which currently regulates selling practices for all insurance products, from general insurance products such as motor and household insurance to those containing investment elements. Consumers are often not aware of the risks associated with the purchase of insurance cover. Whilst accurate professional advice is crucial for insurance sales, recent surveys1 show that more than 70% of insurance products are sold without appropriate advice. The current EU legislation does not deal in detail with the sale of insurance products, rules differ across Member States, and apply solely to intermediaries. The goal of the Commission's proposal is to upgrade consumer protection in the insurance sector by creating common standards across insurance sales and ensuring proper advice. It will do so by improving transparency and establishing a level playing field for insurance sales by intermediaries and sales by insurance undertakings. To achieve this, the following changes are proposed: The same level of consumer protection will apply, regardless of the channel through which consumers purchase an insurance product. Whether a consumer purchases a product directly from an insurance undertaking or indirectly from an intermediary (e.g. an agent or a broker), the consumer will receive the same level of protection. This does not exist today as the current IMD only covers sales provided by intermediaries. Consumers will be provided in advance with clear information about the professional status of the person selling the insurance product. Rules will be introduced to address more effectively the risks of conflict of interest, including disclosure of the remuneration received by sellers of insurance products. Insurance product sales will have to be accompanied by honest, professional advice. It will be easier for intermediaries to operate cross-border, thus promoting the emergence of a real internal market in insurance services.

Eurozone retail sales rebound in May — 04 July 2012, 12:58 CET

Eurozone retail sales rebounded in May, rising by 0.6 percent from the level in April, when they had declined by 1.4 per cent, European Union figures showed on Wednesday.

Life-saver 'eCall' system for new cars urged by MEPs — 03 July 2012, 17:58 CET

The European Parliament on Tuesday demanded all new cars be forced to be equipped by 2015 with an electronic emergency system known as eCall.

Eurozone confidence falls further in June — 28 June 2012, 13:26 CET

Eurozone consumer and business confidence fell in June to the lowest level since October 2009, official data shows, but sentiment remained stable across the wider European Union.

Roaming - guide — 10 May 2012, 16:11 CET

The cost of using mobile phones, smartphones and tablets when travelling within the EU will fall sharply from 1 July this year, under a provisional agreement between MEPs and national governments voted in by Parliament on Thursday 10 May.

EU caps smartphone roaming prices to fight 'rip-offs' — 11 May 2012, 15:47 CET

Europeans will pay less roaming charges when using their smartphones or tablets across EU borders from July 1 under new price caps to end exorbitant bills for consumers.

RAPEX in 2011 - guide — 08 May 2012, 14:03 CET

EU consumers want to be sure that the products - whether produced in the EU or imported from third-countries - are safe. The RAPEX 2011 Report shows that the EU's rapid alert system for non-food dangerous products ("RAPEX") is increasingly effective. Dangerous products are detected earlier and more effectively and are more promptly removed from the EU market. This process involves a chain of actions including upstream efforts to design out risks at source, better risk assessment and close co-operation between EU authorities, notably customs, to identify risks at the points of entry.

Fewer toxic toys and textiles in EU stores — 08 May 2012, 17:27 CET

Europe last year saw its first drop in the number of toxic toys and skin-irritating textiles stacked on its supermarket shelves, more than half of them made in China, the EU said on Tuesday.