‘Star’ French doctor to stand trial over 12 deaths after 7-year probe
A French doctor is to be tried for intentionally poisoning 30 child and adult patients, 12 of whom died, in an alleged attempt to show off his resuscitation skills…
Consumer rights
Latest reporting and analysis on consumer rights.
Austria orders YouTube to give users access to their data
Austria's data protection authority said Friday that it has ordered YouTube to comply with EU regulations and respond to requests by users for access to data that…
EU’s planned air-passenger rights reforms spur advocates’ backlash
The Association of Passenger Rights Advocates has come out against Brussels plans to reform air-passenger compensation rights.
Huge recall of infected cheese in EU: ‘Gross negligence’, two dead
A major food safety scandal in France has seen more than 40 varieties of cheese taken from supermarket shelves over fears of listeria contamination.
Italy fines fast-fashion giant Shein for ‘green’ claims
Italy's competition watchdog (AGCM) said August 4 it has fined the company responsible for Shein's websites in Europe €1 million for false and confusing claims…
EU consumer waste now as big as food imports
European consumers now waste as much food as the EU imports, around 58 million tonnes a year, according to a new report.
Wife of Lufthansa CEO allegedly involved in fatal car incident in Sardinia
The wife of the CEO of German national airline Lufthansa, Carsten Spohr, has been accused of running over and killing a young woman in Porto Cervo, on Sardinia’s…
French police raid Nestlé over alleged bottled water fraud
French police raided the offices of Nestlé Waters as part of a widening judicial investigation into the food giant’s alleged use of illegal filtration systems…
Belgium: Man accused of mistreating dog targeted in arson attack
A man accused of abusing his dog, leading to the death of the animal, has become the target of widespread public outrage in Belgium, including setting his house…
German Greens demand price controls for ice cream
Three politicians from Germany's The Greens party have demanded price controls for ice cream.
EC says Chinese online giant AliExpress ‘must do more to protect customers’
Chinese online giant AliExpress must do more to protect consumers from illegal product sales, the European Commission said, an interim finding that could open the…
Health experts target Snapchat over alleged illegal vape trade to minors
Dutch health experts and the Youth Smoking Prevention Foundation threatened legal action against Snapchat for the alleged illegal sale of vapes via the social media…
Will QR codes on wine bottles give consumers more info or less?
A shift to digital labelling in the wine sector, with paper labels being partially replaced by QR codes, has raised questions about whether consumers would actually…
Pornhub pulls out of France in protest at new age verification law
Aylo, the owner of major adult sites Pornhub, RedTube and YouPorn, said it would suspend access to its French platforms in protest at France’s strict new age verification…
What would Camus say? France to ban smoking in public spaces
There are few photographs of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus where those French heroes do not brandish a cigarette.
Germany’s Conservative-led government extends rent controls until end of 2029
Germany has prolonged contentious rent control regulations until at least December 31, 2029.
NGOs file complaint against Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein’s ‘irregular’ lobbying
Two Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have filed a complaint against Chinese-owned fast-fashion group Shein's lobbying practices with the French High Authority…
Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein may have to pay EU under three different regulations
Shein, the Chinese global e-commerce platform specialising in fast fashion, could soon find itself paying more than just shipping costs to the European Union.
EU consumer group accuses Ryanair and others of ‘illegal’ extra fees for carry-ons
The European Consumer Organisation accused Ryanair and other airlines of engaging in unfair and illegal practices by charging extra fees for hand luggage.
‘Algorithms will not raise our children’: France to lead EU coalition to ban social media for children
France said it was working with other member states to prevent children under 15 from accessing social media anywhere in the EU.
Canton of Zurich offers 90% off for name alterations if combined with change of gender
The Swiss canton of Zurich, an administrative unit of Switzerland, has been offering large discounts on official name changes - if they were combined with a change…
Hoteliers set to launch legal claim over ‘billions in losses due to booking.com’
Travel website booking.
Cheap Chinese imports spur record EU product safety violations
The European Union recorded an unprecedented number of alerts about dangerous consumer products in 2023, nearly doubling the 2022 figure.
Dutch advised not to eat eggs from ‘backyard chickens’
Dutch people have been advised to stop eating eggs from "backyard chickens" and opt for buying them from a shop or market instead.
Volkswagen agrees to pay damages to Belgians for ‘Dieselgate’
Belgian consumers affected by the Volkswagen "Dieselgate" emissions scandal will soon be able to start claiming compensation, marking a major step forward in a years-long…
Polish university lecturer indicted for allegedly dissecting non-stunned carp
Prosecutors have filed an indictment against a Polish veterinarian and university lecturer who, during classes with students, was alleged to have killed carp without…
German pharma giant Bayer must pay US cancer patient almost €2bn
Bayer, Germany’s biggest pharmaceuticals and biotech company, has been ordered to pay a record almost $2.1 billion (€1.
Belgian Flanders region slammed over ‘housing policy failures’
The Belgian region of Flanders was not doing enough to address the affordability of housing for vulnerable groups, according to a ruling by the European Committee…
Leaked documents: ‘Italians torpedo EC’s plans to implement EU-wide nutrition labelling’
The European Commission has reportedly abandoned its years-long attempts to set up the mandatory Nutri-Score across 27 member states, it has been reported.
Facebook owner Meta targeted by European online rights activists Ekō
European online rights activist group Ekō has filed complaints with data protection authorities in several European countries about Facebook owner Meta's targeted…