The EU has announced concrete steps to better protect consumers against harmful chemicals − to which they are exposed night and day from multiple sources. That is the gist of the long-awaited Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, published today by the EU Commission. The European Consumer Organisation BEUC, who has long been calling on the EU to tighten its grip on chemicals, judges the blueprint promising and urges the Commission to now follow through. The EU last updated its strategy for chemicals policy in 2001.

The European Commission announced its Renovation Wave strategy today to rapidly increase the rate of renovation and energy efficiency of Europe’s buildings. Part of the Green Deal and the EU’s recovery efforts, it is a triple win: for consumers, for the environment and for the EU economy.

Reviewed European rail passenger rights agreed today by the Member States and the European Parliament lack ambition and are a missed opportunity to promote rail travel. Despite hopes of rail being central to the green recovery and ahead of the 2021 European Year of Rail, EU decision-makers made small improvements in limited areas, but watered down passenger rights in others in today’s compromise.

Consumers potentially came one step closer to fairer and better quality financial advice today, with a European Commission commitment to assess the ‘quality and objectivity’ of financial advice.