EU to strengthen consumer protection in the digital age

According to a news report, the European Union (EU) Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, has stated that the EU is ‘determined to improve consumer protection to ensure consumers the same protection when they purchase goods and services offline or online’. Mr. Reynders made the statement during a press conference on the sidelines of an informal meeting of EU member states’ ministers responsible for consumer protection. The Commissioner stated further that the participants of the meeting focused their discussions on the need to update the Consumer Credit Directive and the General Product Safety Directive. The General Product Safety Directive, according to Reynders, was adopted back in 2002 at a time when only 9 percent of Europeans were shopping online, compared to 72 percent in the 2020, which supported the need for the update.