BEUC NEWS - 05.07.2022

On 1 July, the Czech Republic to took over the rotating presidency of the EU Council, succeeding to France. With our Czech member organisation dTest, we encourage the Czech Presidency to strive to deliver clear benefits to European consumers, who are strongly impacted by rising energy and food prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. From financial services and product safety to digital rights and sustainable lifestyles, there will be plenty to work on over the next six months. BEUC highlights the following initiatives:

• The General Product Safety Regulation: the proposed revision must ensure that products are better traceable along the supply chain and that market surveillance bodies are given the right tools.
• The Consumer Credit Directive: the revision of the Consumer Credit Directive should ensure that consumers of financial services are treated fairly and adequately protected against irresponsible lending practices.
• ‘Fit for 55’ legislative package: the revision of several key pieces of legislation under this package should strongly enhance the ability of consumers to switch to more sustainable heating and cooling systems and opt for more sustainable mobility.
• The Sustainable Product Initiative: the revision of the Ecodesign Directive and accompanying legislative proposals need to make sustainable and durable products the norm by setting stronger requirements at the design stage of products.
• The ‘Empowering consumers for the green transition’ initiative: the amendments to the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and the Consumer Rights Directive aim to strengthen consumer protection against greenwashing and premature obsolescence and better inform consumers on durability, repairability and software updates.
• The Artificial Intelligence Act: The proposed Regulation should be improved to protect consumers from economic harm and discrimination caused by commercial uses of AI. Consumers must have a strong set of rights and access to effective remedies and redress mechanisms in case of harm, including collective redress.
• The ePrivacy Regulation: This urgently needed legislation should lead to a higher level of privacy protection for consumers in the digital age and should complement the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
• The Distance Marketing of Financial Services Directive (DMFSD): The updating of the rules applicable to the distance marketing of financial services is fundamental to consider new practices used to target consumers with financial products such Buy-Now-Pay-Later credits.

Delve into our memorandum to learn more about what is at stake for the Czech Presidency.