US-style litigation culture? Only if you like alternative facts!
The howls of protest from business groups could be heard across Europe. On 11 April, the Commission proposed to make collective compensation claims possible when large numbers of consumers have been harmed by the same trader. Cue uproar and...
Alcohol information: label vs. screen?
Modern life is increasingly hectic. Between work or studies, family responsibilities and everything in between, consumers can feel increasingly time-strapped. The majority do not spend any more time than they have to at the supermarket. At the same time, consumers...
Electric cars: game changers for tomorrow’s energy offers
“Car biz is hell” Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently said in a twitter exchange. Media eagerly reported that the electric car pioneer is sleeping at Tesla’s factory, to remedy production delays on its latest model. But production delays are just...
Collective redress for European consumers – yes, we can
I was sitting back in a train from Strasbourg to Brussels in early spring 1998. Looking at the landscape in a train often gives you the distance you need to analyse something happening in your life. I was a young...
Play it again, Siri – what Apple’s acquisition of Shazam could mean to consumers
It’s Sunday afternoon and it’s raining outside. You want to relax at home watching a classic, and you go for Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. In one scene there’s a song you fall in love with, so you quickly grab your...
Green your spring cleaning: 5 reasons to choose EU Ecolabel detergents
It’s spring time! As flowers bud and birds chirp after the (long) winter break, you might want to make your home tidy and shiny. Why not go green for this spring cleaning? We use washing liquids, laundry powders, multi-purpose cleaners...
How Google is eroding consumers’ freedom to choose
Google hit the headlines last year when the European Commission fined the tech giant €2.42 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules. It has been argued the European Commission has over-stepped the line here. After all, if people like and use...
When medicines cost an arm and a leg. And an eye
Last week, a pharmaceutical company was accused of intentionally inflating the price of one of its medicines by 2,000%[1]. Does this kind of news seem like déjà vu? Most probably, because escalating medicine prices are getting more and more coverage....
Consumer greetings from Buenos Aires: My days at the WTO Ministerial Conference
Last week, the 164 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) convened in Buenos Aires for their biannual ministerial conference. Although expectations before the conference were low, they were undercut by the actual outcomes. Most countries had hoped for fresh...
For warmer homes and less energy poverty in the EU
Daniel helps a family stay warm with some clever tricks. Sticking bubble wrap around the windows is one option to keep the cold out of the house. But these are short-term fixes, not long-term solutions. And winters are cold in...