Brussels risks fuelling black market boom with novel nicotine crackdown, industry and customs officials warn
The Euromonitor study, covering 24 member states, revealed sharp divergences depending on national regulatory choices.
Consumer rights
Latest reporting and analysis on consumer rights.
Premium
European airfares could rise by up to 20 per cent, Ryanair boss warns
Ryanair said it would cut 20 routes and more than 1.1 million seats from its Belgian schedule this winter, moving six aircraft out of the country.
Philip Morris calls for consistent EU rules as it highlights €343bn economic footprint
The figures include direct, indirect and induced economic effects calculated through economic modelling.
Brussels tightens its offensive against legal tobacco as illicit trade grows
Almost one in ten cigarettes consumed in the EU now comes from the illegal market or is smuggled, while Brussels presses on with new taxes and restrictions.
Google fined €403 million for EU location-data breaches
Ireland is Google’s lead EU supervisor because the company’s European headquarters are in Dublin.
Parliament sends mixed health signal as tobacco, alcohol and food rules come under scrutiny
MEPs voted 545 to 47, with 75 abstentions, on September 16 to adopt Parliament's response to the EU's first strategy on cardiovascular diseases.
EU not up to the task of fighting illicit tobacco trade, auditors find
The Commission and Member States have taken measures, the auditors say, but the response remains fragmented and is not robust enough.
German finance minister steps in: ‘Sugar tax on sugar-free beverages makes no sense’
Klingbeil was responding to an internal ministry paper that became public on August 25 which caused controversy.
Germany plans sugar tax that includes sugar free drinks
Pure milk and 100 per cent fruit juices would remain exempt.
Member states split over Brussels’s ‘Buy European’ procurement plan
Governments and MEPs remained at odds over how much of the EU's public spending should be reserved for home-made goods.
EU tobacco consultation exposes growing divide over nicotine harm reduction
“Disproportionate measures risk undermining compliant retailers to the advantage of illicit channels,” Karl E. Lund, a Norwegian tobacco researcher, said.
Meta says its AI model went rogue and hacked another company during testing
The model then “exploited a security vulnerability in a third-party service, in a manner similar to previously reported instances with other companies”.
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.
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.
Premium
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.
Premium
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".