Hearings

An IMCO hearing on the performance of the Package Travel Directive and Consumer Protection provided a platform for a discussion between Members, the Commission, and experts on the performance of the Package Travel Directive. It shed light on the weaknesses exposed by the Covid pandemic and provided insights into this evolving landscape.

IMCO organised a hearing on Late Payments, which provided Members the opportunity to exchange views with experts and the Commission in relation to the revision of the Late Payment Directive 2011/7/EU.

Members discussed with the Commission and other invited experts the revision of the current Toy Safety Directive, which has been in force since 2011. The new proposal, adopted by the Commission in July 2023, should make toys even safer for children, as well as further strengthen the single market for toys.

Members discussed with representatives from parliaments of candidate countries the latest Union legislation in the digital domain, notably the Digital Markets and the Digital Services Acts, and the impact on the latter. Representatives from Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Ukraine took part in the discussion. The aim of the exchange of views was to discuss the pertinent topics of the digital single market.

IMCO organised a public hearing on online safety of vulnerable consumers. The hearing focused on the progress made in online child protection, the challenges faced, and the need for ongoing efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of vulnerable consumers, particularly children, in the digital environment.

IMCO held a public hearing on the regulation of online platforms intermediating short-term accommodation rental services. IMCO Members had the opportunity to discuss with representatives of the Commission, national and local authorities, stakeholders and researchers the ways to strengthen the free movement of short-term rental services, while protecting consumers and promoting sustainable tourism and housing market.

IMCO held a public hearing on the state of consumer rights in the EU in times of crisis, the aim of which was to contribute to the discussion on current challenges, strategic priorities, and possible future developments in European consumer rights and enforcement by way of redress. The hearing covered several important topics related to the quality and efficiency of the instruments available to enforce consumer rights.

IMCO held a hearing on Standardisation in the Single Market. The aim was to give Members the chance to exchange views with the Commission, European Standardisation Organisations and stakeholders on current challenges, strategic priorities and future developments in European standardisation.

On 8 December, IMCO held a public hearing to follow up on Parliament’s motion for a resolution on the right to repair, adopted in April 2022. The aim of the hearing is to feed into the discussion related to the upcoming Commission proposal on the right to repair and more specifically, to look at how consumer rights and guarantees can be strengthened.

Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the Single Market. It is an occasion to celebrate the achievements reached and the contribution this has made towards European integration. At the same time, given the current challenging situation, it is also crucial to look ahead and identify further growth potential and ways of rendering the Single Market ever more resilient.

IMCO in association with ENVI held a public hearing on 'Making the Internal Market for Construction Products fit for the 21st century'. The hearing focused on important objectives of the revision of the Construction Products Regulation. These are the improvement of the existing harmonised rules for such products, as well as their alignment with the goals of the Green Deal and the increased uptake of digital technologies.

On 11 July 2022, IMCO held a public hearing on the proposed Regulation on transparency and targeting of political advertising. This was an opportunity for Members to exchange views with stakeholders, experts and researchers from different domains on the main elements of the proposal. This proposes general transparency obligations for all actors involved in the financing, preparation, placement, and dissemination of political advertising, both offline and online.