Press releases

From 25 May onwards, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will strengthen people’s data protection rights and beef up the powers of authorities to go after companies who break the law.

The EU just agreed to restrict over 30 hazardous substances from clothing and other consumer textiles. These substances – which include lead, cadmium and other toxic metals – are used to colour and treat textile products; but they may also cause cancer, harm DNA and reproductive health. BEUC welcomes that the EU is finally tackling these problematic substances but highlights that much work remains to protect consumers against harmful chemicals in textiles, such as endocrine disruptors or allergens.

The European Commission today unveiled its plans to tackle online disinformation. However, it does not act on one of the main reasons for the dissemination of sensationalist content, which includes fake news: the business models which are based on click-baiting to drive advertising revenues.

The European Commission today publishes a proposal which would oblige online platforms to be more transparent with the companies offering their services on them. BEUC welcomes this initiative which – even though it targets the relationship between companies – should make e-commerce fairer for business and thus better for consumers.