FDA authorises nicotine pouches as lower-risk alternative to cigarettes
The FDA has authorised nicotine pouches for marketing with a modified-risk claim, stating they lower health risks for adult smokers who completely switch from cigarettes.
Consumer rights
Latest reporting and analysis on consumer rights.
UK expands online safety rules as watchdog orders Big Tech crackdown on scam adverts
Firms that fail to comply could face fines of up to £18 million (€21.1 million) or 10 per cent of their global annual revenue.
EU Consultation on tobacco products directive draws overwhelming opposition
According to an analysis published today by Path to Smoke-Free and We Are Innovation, more than 82,000 submissions were received from 138 countries.
European Parliament approves major upgrade to air passenger rights
The new rules maintain and reinforce passengers’ entitlement to compensation for delays and cancellations, with fixed amounts unchanged.
Philip Morris denies using AI tool to influence EU tobacco policy
The company faces a formal complaint in the Netherlands from doctors and health groups over what they call a misleading campaign.
Austrian Supreme Court: Ryanair must scrap unfair booking fees
The ruling covers a wide range of charges that the court found to be either intransparent, grossly unfair, or both.
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Europe’s rising heat mortality increases fuel debate over air conditioning barriers
The study used epidemiological modelling based on daily temperature and mortality data across 32 countries.
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EU countries agree to maintain compensation paid to passengers for flight delays
Only Spain and Latvia voted against the compromise, with Austria and Finland abstaining. Spain said the compromise was not ambitious enough.
UK probes Ryanair over fees for parents to sit with children
Britain's competition watchdog said Thursday that it had opened an investigation into Irish carrier Ryanair over fees that parents must pay to sit with their children.
European fans lead backlash as FIFA faces US probes over World Cup ticket prices
Football's world governing body FIFA has come under investigation by several authorities in the United States over the ticket-pricing practices behind the 2026 World…
Polish children’s ombudsman slams end of term ice cream treat for top pupils as fostering inequality
The commissioner was elected in Parliament by the centre-left majority which backs the coalition government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
EU air passenger rights reform on the brink of collapse
A marathon overnight trilogue session earlier this week ended without agreement deep in the night.
Temu fined €200 million over sale of illegal goods
The European Commission has fined Chinese online marketplace for violating the EU’s Digital Services Act.
WHO accuses tobacco industry of wanting to ‘hook a new generation of users’ on pouches
"The rapid global expansion of nicotine pouch products, which are being aggressively marketed to adolescents and young people".
German court reopens BioNTech Covid vaccine damages case
The ruling could have consequences for other similar proceedings.
Milka chocolate bar ‘shrinkflation is consumer deception’, German court rules
Failure to comply could result in fines of up to €250,000. The verdict is not yet final; Mondelēz has one month to appeal.
European Parliament think-tank suggests VPN crackdown amid online age-verification push
Europeans officials are increasingly turning their attention to virtual private networks (VPNs) as concerns grow that the technology could be used to bypass the …
Belgian health minister calls tobacco industry ‘criminal’ as court derails his anti-smoking policy
Belgian health minister Frank Vandenbroucke has branded the tobacco industry a "criminal" sector with "no future".
‘European Commission’s housing plan will worsen the crisis’, scholars warn
As the European Commission moves to tackle the housing crisis through joint meetings with the European Parliament and European mayors, scholars have warned that…
Berlin SPD wants to set up ‘rental police’ to combat exorbitant rents
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the German capital of Berlin has announced plans to set up a special investigative unit to examine thousands of rental contracts…
Spain’s housing market shifts from single-home ownership to wealth accumulation
Spanish society is slowly splitting into two groups: Those who own everything and those who own nothing.
Norway to ban social media for under-16s
Norway said today it will present a bill this year making it the latest country seeking to ban social networks for under 16s, adding that technology companies will…
Allegations of sexual abuse in Paris’ after-schools rock France
Paris and wider France is being shaken to its core by serious allegations of sexual abuse within Paris’ after-school care system (“périscolaire”).
Europe’s vape ban fantasy is fueling black markets and sending smokers back to cigarettes
The Dutch flavour ban was meant to protect public health. Instead, it exposes a deeper flaw in Brussels’ thinking: You cannot regulate demand out of existence.
‘Greenpeace abusing EU’s Anti-SLAPP to escape accountability’, says Consumer Choice Centre
The US-based Consumer Choice Centre (CCC) has warned that activist groups risk turning the European Union’s new anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation)…
German justice minister wants fare dodging decriminalised to ease burden on courts and prisons
Germany’s Minister of Justice Stefanie Hubig has come out in favour of decriminalising fare evasion on the country’s public transport system – to ease pressure…
War on vaping defies science and reality, leading tobacco researcher warns
A leading addiction researcher warns the European Union is on the brink of a public health blunder, risking reversing decades of progress in reducing smoking–while…
EU accuses four porn platforms of letting children access adult content
The European Union accused four pornographic platforms on Thursday of allowing children to access adult content in breach of digital rules, putting the companies…
Half of e-cigarettes in Europe are illegal and almost all come from China
Almost half of all e-cigarettes sold in Europe originate from irregular sources, with China supplying 90 per cent of these unregulated products, according to a study…
Leading scientists accuse European Commissioner of ‘misleading statements’ on smoke-free nicotine products
A coalition of 23 leading European experts in medicine, toxicology, epidemiology and addiction science has accused European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare…