What does the EU copyright reform mean to you as a consumer?

In September, the European Commission revealed its plans to modernise EU copyright laws. “Why is that important for me?” you might think. Fair point. For most consumers copyright law does not top the list of their daily concerns. But think...

/ November 14, 2016

Not enforcing consumer rights costs air passengers millions

Your flight was cancelled at the last moment. Or you found out at the airport that you cannot check in as your flight was overbooked. Sounds familiar? That’s because millions of people find themselves in this kind of situation all...

/ November 10, 2016

Keep an eye on WhatsApp

In September 2016, WhatsApp started to share personal information with its mother company Facebook. The Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbv) is fighting for WhatsApp to respect your privacy. Imagine You would like to use a specific messenger service on...

/ November 2, 2016

Lisa’s story and the price of anti-cancer drugs

The child of a dear friend of mine, whose name is Lisa, unfortunately developed cancer when she was only 4. She is now 8 and has received the all-clear from the doctors. She was one of the lucky children who...

/ October 27, 2016

Why privacy safeguards in trade deals need urgent improvement

The EU and 22 other countries are closing in on a huge deal to liberalise trade in services. One of the few pending issues in this Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) is the question of how to make sure trade...

/ October 20, 2016

Fuzzy maths or how the Commission solves ‘costly’ chemicals laws

The European Commission is running EU chemicals laws through its REFIT machine. REFIT sounds like a strenuous fitness regime for overweight risk managers, right!? It’s not. Instead, it is a Commission programme that looks to streamline EU laws – a...

/ October 18, 2016

Paying abroad may be costing you more than it should

You’ve probably never heard of the term ‘dynamic currency conversion’. But you’ve probably done it on holiday or on a business trip. And it’s most likely cost you money. Dynamic currency conversion is a service merchants offer consumers when they...

/ October 12, 2016

The consumer-policy nuts and bolts of the sharing economy

The sharing economy is a phenomenon which profoundly changes the way consumers buy or rent goods and services. It also allows consumers to enter the market to provide goods, services, time or skills themselves and become – what we call...

/ October 11, 2016

Big data, smart enforcement

Last week I spoke at a conference which was jointly organised by the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) and BEUC. Its motto hit the nail on the head: how can privacy rights be enforced in an era where big data...

/ October 7, 2016

Why eating right is an everyday challenge

Everyone is back to their pre-summer routine: back to school, back to work, back to stress. Does that mean a return to bad eating habits? It might not, if you can resist putting that sugar-laden cereal bar in your shopping...

/ September 22, 2016