The European Union has notified the Mercosur countries of the instrument for the provisional application of the EU-Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement. By sending its ‘note verbale’ to Paraguay, the legal depositary of Mercosur treaties, the European Commission has taken the final procedural step required for the provisional application of the agreement, in accordance with the […]
What is the EU doing to manage waste better?
Every year on 30 March, International Day of Zero Waste raises awareness about the importance of managing waste responsibly and encouraging sustainable consumption and production. In the EU, the average person produces 511kg of waste each year and only 38% of waste is recycled. This is a serious challenge and the EU is taking action […]
Which EU countries spend the most on sporting goods?
In 2020, among the 22 EU countries for which data are available, 4 registered an average household expenditure on sporting goods and services above 500 purchasing power standard (PPS). PPS is an artificial currency unit that eliminates price level differences between countries. On top of the list was Luxembourg (628 PPS), closely followed by the […]
Green transition: new EU rules to protect consumers
The Council and the Parliament have reached a provisional political agreement on the directive to empower consumers for the green transition. The proposal aims at enhancing consumers’ rights by amending the unfair commercial practices directive (UCPD) and the consumer rights directive (CRD) and adapting them for the green transition. Today’s agreement maintains the main objectives […]
Commission aid to Spain for energy consumption
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Spanish scheme to partially compensate energy-intensive companies for higher electricity prices resulting from indirect emission costs under the EU Emission Trading System (‘ETS’). Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “This €2.9 billion scheme enables Spain to reduce the risk of energy-intensive […]
COVID-19: Commission provides guidance on EU passenger rights
In our efforts to mitigate the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission has today published guidelines to ensure EU passenger rights are applied in a coherent manner across the EU. National governments have introduced different measures, including travel restrictions and border controls. The purpose of these guidelines is to reassure passengers that their rights are […]
European Commission supports seamless mobile phone use throughout Cyprus
As of this past weekend, Cypriot mobile subscribers can use their telephones throughout the territory of Cyprus without interruption, as previously mobile services were cancelled when crossing the green line between the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This confidence-building initiative was reconfirmed by the two leaders, President Nicos Anastasiades and […]
EU consumer rules: Airbnb cooperates with European Commission and EU consumer authorities improving the way it presents offers
The European Commission announced today that, as a result of negotiations with Airbnb, the platform has improved and fully clarified the way it presents accommodation offers to consumers, which is now in line with the standards set in EU consumer law. Airbnb addressed all the demands made by theEuropean Commission and national consumer protection authorities, […]
Survey: Europeans are well aware of rules against unjustified geo-blocking
Seven months after new rules against unjustified geo-blocking began to apply, general consumer awareness of the new rules against restrictions for online shopping and cross-border sales is already high. A Eurobarometer survey published recently shows that just a few months after the new rules on geo-blocking started to apply, 50% of EU citizens are generally […]