Press room 

Updates to EU consumer protection rules to tackle misleading rankings in online marketplaces and dual quality of products in the EU were approved on Tuesday.

Consumers buying online or in a brick and mortar store will be entitled to equal remedies if they purchase faulty products, under new rules agreed on Tuesday.

Parliament and Council negotiators agreed Thursday on EU rules to fix the weaknesses that allowed the emissions scandal to happen and to rebuild consumer trust.

The EU should reap “collaborative” economy benefits while ensuring fair competition, workers’ rights and tax compliance.

In a drive to prevent a recurrence of the VW emissions scandal, Internal Market Committee MEPs amended EU car “type approval” rules on Thursday, to make environmental and safety testing more independent and strengthen national and EU oversight of cars already on the road.

The EU Commission, member states and producers should take measures to ensure consumers can enjoy durable high-quality products that can be repaired.

All of the EP’s 20 standing committees and two subcommittees held their constitutive meetings on Wednesday to elect their chair and vice-chairs.

The Single Market brings benefits to all Member States. Investing in it is investing in the future, says Internal Market Committee Chair Petra De Sutter.

The Industry and Internal Market Committees will discuss the new initiatives in the digital sector with Commissioner Thierry Breton, on Wednesday afternoon.

Amendments tabled by Parliament's lead MEP to a Commission proposal to revise the EU firearms directive were discussed in the Internal Market Committee on Wednesday. Concern to close loopholes in European gun laws and strike a balance between the right to own certain types of firearms and appropriate risk controls shaped the changes tabled by committee chair and rapporteur on this file, Vicky Ford (ECR, UK).

The Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee will discuss EU measures to protect consumers and safeguard their rights today at 17.05 with Commissioner Didier Reynders.

All the EU internal market tools should be used against the COVID-19 crisis. Price hikes and scams on consumers must be stopped and all must have equal access to a future vaccine.

As of 3 December, Europeans will be able to shop online without unjustified geo-blocking, wherever they are in the EU.

The proposed Digital Single Market strategy is needed to build trust in the online world, boost growth and protect the rights of citizens, creators and companies. These were among the first reactions from the chairs of the three committees that will work intensively on today's Commission proposal. This afternoon and tomorrow morning, the Commissioners responsible will visit Parliament to discuss the proposal with MEPs.

People who buy or download music, apps, games or use cloud services will be better protected if a trader fails to supply the content or service or provides a defective one.

People who buy or download music, apps, games or use cloud services will be better protected when a trader fails to supply the content or provides a defective one.

The provisional deal with the Council on the updated EU firearms directive was endorsed by Parliament’s Internal Market Committee on Thursday by 25 votes to nine, with two abstentions. The revised law tightens the controls on blank firing and inadequately deactivated weapons like those used in the Paris terror attacks. It also requires EU countries to have a monitoring system in place for the issuance or renewal of licences and to exchange information with one another.

MEPs approved a single set of rules to ensure consumers buying online or face-to-face in a local shop obtain the remedies they are entitled to if they purchase a faulty product.

Public sector bodies' websites and mobile applications will have to be made accessible to everyone, under a provisional deal struck by Parliament and Council negotiators on Tuesday night. Over 167 million EU citizens have a disability (either medical or due to age) which prevents them accessing data and services on the Internet, e.g. to file a tax declaration, apply for an allowance, pay fees or register a child at school.

Transport and energy companies will have to ensure that the digital infrastructure that they use to deliver essential services, such as traffic control or electricity grid management, is robust enough to withstand cyber-attacks, under new rules provisionally agreed by internal market MEPs and the Luxembourg Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers on Monday. Online marketplaces like eBay or Amazon, search engines and clouds will also be required to ensure that their infrastructure is secure.