Press releases

Today the European Parliament has voted to help consumers make more sustainable choices, improving products’ information and expected lifetime. The legislative initiative, dubbed ‘Empowering Consumers for the green transition’, is a major step forward to contribute to Europe’s efforts towards a circular economy. BEUC applauds the Parliament’s strong position - which strengthens the original Commission proposal - and calls on Member States to adopt a similar approach in the upcoming negotiations to finalise the text.

EU energy-efficiency rules, known as Ecodesign, help shield consumers from sky-high energy prices when using their home appliances. A study published today by BEUC, the European Consumer Organisation, reveals among others that during the energy crisis in 2022 consumers could save up to €2,450 on their energy bills, using the most efficient appliances. Considering these encouraging results, BEUC calls on the European Commission to allocate enough financial resources to expand the rules further.

Following a complaint by BEUC and its members against Nintendo for premature obsolescence, the company has committed to lifelong free repairs of Nintendo Switch game consoles suffering from ‘Joy Con Drift’.

Electric car drivers in Europe will as of 2025 benefit from more charging points, which to date has been a sticking point in the rollout of greener cars. Additionally, new fast chargers will always have to display transparent prices in kilowatt-hours (kWh) and make payment easy. These positive developments will come about following the agreement between the European institutions to improve the law that regulates charging infrastructure, the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation.