Press releases

Member States would be obliged to freeze current minimum standards around guarantee rights, if an EU Parliament committee vote on Thursday 22 February goes as expected. As a result, they would no longer be able to give better guarantee rights for goods to consumers, following pressure from MEPs from liberal and conservative parties.

Facebook, Twitter and Google+ have made changes to their terms of service in an effort to comply with EU consumer protection rules, following a joint action of national consumer authorities. However, Facebook and Twitter have complied with the changes required.

MEPs will vote today to make it easier for consumers to buy from, or access, a website based in another EU country. Through so-called geo-blocking practices traders often prevent consumers of other EU countries purchasing products from their online shops. The new measure will enter into force later this year, forbidding discrimination of consumers based on their nationality or place of residence.

Today, the EU Commission has proposed to reinforce Member States’ collaboration when they assess the added value of health technologies, such as medicines, medical devices or surgeries. This will lead to a better use of taxpayers’ money, in turn channelling money towards more innovative treatments and research. BEUC supports the idea of joining efforts to conduct Health Technology Assessment (HTA) in Europe and highlights some requirements to make the system work for consumers.