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…
Consumer rights
Latest reporting and analysis on consumer rights.
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…
Greek inquiry finds gaps in rail safety, two years after deadly crash
Greece's worst rail disaster in 2023 was due to chronic safety gaps that still need to be addressed to prevent a repeat, Greek investigators said on February 27.
Future of cigarettes in Europe up in smoke?
As European Commissioner for Health Olivér Várhelyi was working on a new update for the EC's tobacco directive, Brussels Signal took part in a media visit to US…
France slumps into housing crisis, report warns
The French Housing Foundation, formerly known as the Abbé Pierre Foundation, has warned that France was "sinking into a housing crisis, with 4 million people who…
NGO wants ‘carcinogenic’ non-sugar sweetener banned
Food NGO Food Watch, food consumer app Yuka and the French foundation League Against Cancer have launched a Europe-wide petition calling for a ban on aspartame,…
No sex is not justification for divorce, Strasbourg court says
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that the principle of marital "conjugal duty", as applied in the French Civil Code, violated the court's Article…
The Left used to want ‘net neutrality,’ now they want net censorship
Look back a few years and you will see shifts in political positions that fascinate.
French drug usage higher than ever: over 1m people used cocaine in 2023
France's 'high society' has apparently grown, as experimenting with drugs has soared. Cocaine consumption in the country exploded, with 1.