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A study commissioned by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) shows a weak degree of coherence between trade policy and the European Green Deal...

The European Commission today published a proposal to improve customs controls. This could help tackle the many challenges authorities face in...

According to new statistics, 2,117 notifications were made to Safety Gate – the EU’s rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products – in 2022.

BEUC and the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) – a network of 77 consumer and digital rights organisations – are concerned about the EU-US ‘joint...

BEUC NEWS - 20.12.2022 On 1 January 2023, Sweden will take over the rotating presidency of the EU Council, succeeding to the Czech Republic. With our...

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The European Commission today published a proposal to improve customs controls. This could help tackle the many challenges authorities face in checking the surge in e-commerce parcels entering the EU for dangerous or non-compliant products. While consumers expect and may think all imports are safe and comply with EU standards, the reality is more complicated.

Our International Affairs team works to protect Europeans in a global market. 

EU consumer policy is decided through a clear legislative process. The bloc’s external relations with third countries can affect this process and the daily lives of consumers. We therefore follow these relations and urge international engagement to include civil society and be transparent. 

Practically this means we scrutinise EU trade negotiations, ranging from ‘bilateral’ ones (with Australia, for instance) to talks about global e-commerce happening at the World Trade Organization. We remind decision-makers that trade should benefit Europeans, without negatively impacting consumer-related regulations in the EU (whether data privacy, chemical laws, food safety, etc.). 

We also look at external policy beyond ‘trade’, such as dialogues between EU and third-country regulators. The EU-US cooperation agenda is an example of this. BEUC supports such exchanges if they are voluntary and used to improve EU decision-making, address common issues, or take joint actions. 

Finally, we flag consumer concerns to decision-makers: think about issues with sending or receiving parcels from the UK since its EU exit, or dangerous products that are marketed to Europeans from outside the EU. This means we keep an eye on other policy areas, such as customs.

To make an international impact, we work with US civil society through the Trans-Atlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD), and the global Consumers International network of more than 200 organisations.