Not all heroes wear capes: why consumer protection authorities need global cooperation
On March 15, we celebrate World Consumer Rights Day. We take this opportunity to call for stronger global cooperation to enhance the power of consumer protection authorities. BEUC’s Head of International, Léa Auffret, unmasks these heroes of consumer protection and...
EU must enforce Digital Markets Act in the face of Big Tech obstruction
The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) has the potential to benefit consumers by opening up markets that Big Tech has dominated for too long. But this potential will not be fulfilled unless the European Commission acts decisively to ensure...
Our takeaway from the AI Action Summit: consumer protection isn’t what is holding Europe back in AI
The AI Action Summit in Paris was the place to be last week and we delivered a clear message to global leaders: consumer protection will help the take-up of AI, not harm it, writes BEUC's Agustín Reyna.
Stamped, sealed, delivered: Can customs bring sustainability home?
During my yearly winter rewatch of Sex and the City, I never imagined customs and sustainability would inspire my very own Brussels-trade-bubble Carrie Bradshaw column. But here we are—customs, consumers, and sustainability. I couldn’t help but wonder…
Reviewing what I learnt in my new energy job after six months
BEUC’s Laurens Rutten shares his learning curve experience in a sector he was warned is “extremely complex”.
Online reviews: can we trust what we see?
Are the online reviews you are seeing really written by customers? In today’s digital marketplace, fake reviews are a growing problem, designed to mislead shoppers into buying subpar products. Petra Cakovska, from S.O.S Poprad, BEUC's Slovak member, tells you how...
Shopping on Temu: safe or sorry?
Temu is cheap and has shaken up e-commerce in Europe, but it has come at a cost for consumers who have no certainty that what they are buying is safe. Authorities need to intervene and make sure EU laws are...
Six things I’ve learned advocating for European consumers
After 17 years as the Director General of BEUC – The European Consumer Organisation – Monique Goyens bows out this year for a well-deserved retirement. She looks back at her career and shares a few thoughts about advocating for consumers'...
‘Call me maybe’…How do you call your bank to cancel your credit card if you’re deaf?
When your bank unexpectedly blocks your credit card, it should be a relatively easy situation to resolve. But not when the bank requires you to call and you cannot use the phone because you are deaf. BEUC secretary to the...
EU must urgently tackle harm caused by weakened competition
The Commission and EU governments must urgently tackle the problem by more - not less - strictly enforcing EU competition rules, and in particular merger control, writes Vanessa Turner.