Lead story

50^th anniversary of the DIN Consumer Council

On 3 December 2024, the DIN Consumer Council celebrated its landmark 50^th anniversary with a special event in Berlin. ANEC Director-General, Stephen Russell, was honoured to be invited to make one of the keynote speeches.

Stephen led guests on a brief journey of European standardisation policy past and present, focussing on the development of consumer participation and importance of achieving an inclusive process. He stressed ANEC was not opposed to the national delegation principle which he said is essential in bringing together stakeholders at national level, so they can contribute to standardisation in a way that meets national needs and national expectations.

Photo credit: Foto-Atelier Urban for DIN

Nevertheless, he lamented that the consumer movement is often unable to contribute at national level through lack of expertise. This had become more and more the case with the convergence of technologies, and the expansion of the New Legislative Framework into new fields, such as Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. He congratulated DIN on having introduced explicit limits to standardisation in DIN 820-1, the German standard setting out the principles of standardisation. ANEC’s experience was indeed that there are constraints as to what standards can do, due to their nature and means of development. As inclusive as standardisation can be, he said it cannot replace the rule of law set through democracy.

He went to explain that the second Von der Leyen Commission has set enhancing economic competitiveness of the EU as one of its platforms, recalling the hugely critical Draghi report of September. It saw a “more agile” means of regulation – especially in the digital sector – as one means of achieving that. As a consumer, he feared this may see other delicate issues delegated to the soft law of standardisation to solve, rather than traditional regulation.

Stephen ended his presentation by congratulating all members of the Consumer Council – past and present – for ensuring the voice of German consumers in standardisation at all levels, and thanked them warmly for having been a peerless supporter of ANEC in forming a collective voice in standardisation for European consumers for almost 30 years.

SBS Annual Conference on Right to Repair

On 28 November, ANEC joined a panel discussion at the Small Business Standards (SBS) Annual Conference in Brussels. The event was part of the SBS “Meeting standards” week.

Our Director-General Stephen Russell joined Ines Pina Garcia-Galan (DG GROW), Andreas Brieger (SMEUnited) and Cristina Ganapini (Right to Repair Europe) to discuss challenges and opportunities arising from giving consumers a Right to Repair. Rogier Elshout ensured lively and to-the-point exchanges as moderator.

Photo credit: SBS

Stephen emphasised how legislation and standards are essential in delivering an effective right to repair for consumers, and how ANEC sees the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and Right to Repair Directive as two critical but interlinked steps. He shared the concern of the audience at Right to Repair Europe’s finding that only 4% of products taken to repair shops presently fall under the scope of the Right to Repair Directive. Nevertheless, in ensuring the availability of repair services, he saw the “Starbucks-isation” of repair shops as inevitable, unless subject to further regulation.

In conclusion, Stephen stressed that public and private actors would need to ensure that the implementation of the new legislation was correct, spelling out that consumers wanted products to be durable, with repairability only a supporting measure. He voiced whether the new legislation would do enough to put an end to premature obsolescence, noting that millions of otherwise serviceable computers will become effectively unusable in 2025, with Microsoft ending support for Windows 10.

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GPSR now applicable

On 13 December, the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) came into force, marking a notable step forward from the consumer protection offered by its predecessor, the GPSD. The modernised law strengthens safety criteria for all non-food products sold in the EU, with special focus on vulnerable groups, cybersecurity, and gender safety aspects.

It also demands greater accountability from manufacturers and online marketplaces, with simplified mechanisms put in place for consumers to report unsafe products.

ANEC and BEUC released a common media release calling on authorities to pay attention to enforcing the GPSR.

Stephen Russell, ANEC Director-General, said, “We very much welcome the stronger safety criteria to assess which products are ‘safe.’ This includes special mention of vulnerable groups such as children; gender safety aspects, and cybersecurity requirements. It is good news the GPSR will require standards bodies to develop inclusive standards and empower authorities to act when standards do not meet the needs of all consumers. As always, the effective implementation and enforcement of the law will be priorities”.

Read the full media release.

International Volunteer Day

On 5 December, we celebrated International Volunteer Day.

ANEC wouldn't be ANEC, and its success would be unimaginable, without the hard work of our members and many experts. We thank them tremendously for their commitment in helping raise standards for consumers.

2024 – the Year of the Webinar

In 2024, ANEC hosted with its members and experts no fewer than 17 webinars and training sessions.

The first of two of our most recent webinars – on 19 November – examined the State of play of AI standards and what can civil society do next. The webinar saw presentations from both Dr Sebastian Hallensleben, Chair of CEN-CENELEC JTC 21, and Pete Eisenegger, ANEC AI expert in JTC 21/WG4 and WG1 (Strategic Advisory Group & Technical Coherence Forum). The webinar brought together academia, civil society and national institutions working on AI and standardisation.

The second – on 6 December – looked at the Common Charger and focused on implications for consumers. DG GROW representative Alexis Basiaux gave the latest developments on the USB-C charging standard that will enter into force as of December 2024. See the slides of the presentation.

We look forward to bringing you more sessions in the New Year.

*If you are an ANEC member or expert and attended one or more of our webinars in 2024, please send us your comments via this survey by 9 January 2025.

Launch of the Consumer Education Hub

Co-funded by the EU and run by BEUC, the Consumer Education Hub is the place to find educational initiatives and resources for consumers of all ages.

The Hub provides a range of consumer education resources from across Europe, in multiple languages. It covers topics like safety, environment, digital skills, energy, and many more.

If you would like to boost the visibility of your initiatives (e.g. awareness raising campaign), you can list them in the hub by using the form in the Add your initiative page.

Child Safety

Toy Safety Tips

In November and December, ahead of Black Friday, Saint Nicholas, Christmas and the Three Kings among other notable dates, ANEC & TIE (Toy Industries of Europe) joined forces again for our annual campaign focusing on our video with tips for buying safe toys.

Our Toy Safety Tips now exist in 7 languages (English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese) and can be downloaded from 👉 https://toysafetytips.eu.

World Children’s Day 2024

35 years ago, on 20 November 1989, the UN adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, marked since by World Children’s Day.

This year’s World Children’s Day also marked the first trilogue meeting of the EU Institutions to adopt new rules on toy safety. As children deserve the highest protection – and noting that play is a vital element in a child’s development - ANEC counts on the negotiations to achieve a new Toy Safety Regulation, featuring lower limits for harmful chemicals; mental health becoming a criterion for toy safety, and a shorter transition period for companies to adapt to the rules.

Accessibility

ANEC Accessibility WG meets

On 10-11 December 2024, ANEC held its 37^th Accessibility WG meeting, online.

On the first day, our experts discussed standardisation-related work on the Accessibility of lifts; Accessibility to the built environment; Assistance dogs; Assistive products & services; and Ergonomics. The WG also saw a presentation from CEN-CENELEC on its accessibility policy and disbandment of CEN BT/WG 213 ‘SAGA’.

The second day was devoted to the ANEC-EDF European Accessibility Act Project Team, where experts again discussed work on Accessibility to the built environment, as well as e-Accessibility; Design for All; Accessibility of non-digital information and of support services. WG experts especially welcomed a presentation from the Accessible EU centre on its involvement in standardisation, and support to disability and consumer organisations in standardisation.

Services & Domestic Appliances

EFSW 2024

During European Fire Safety Week 2024, ANEC Senior Manager Tania Vandenberghe and ANEC Lead Programme Manager Michela Vuerich, had the privilege to present our key asks in the fields of fire safety and Carbon Monoxide safety, at the opening meeting “Enhancing domestic life safety: strategies and technologies for a secure home environment”.

Photo credit: Euralarm

Their intervention touched upon the points outlined in the new ANEC Discussion Paper: “Enhancing Fire & Life Safety: The Role of Accident and Injury Data in Creating Awareness”. The paper, published on European Smoke Alarm Day, displays the findings from an ANEC internal survey of Fire Safety Awareness at the national level. It provides recommendations and tips on how to encourage citizens’ interest in fire safety.

Slides and recordings from EUFSW24 events are available on the webpage of the European Fire Safety Alliance.

Fire safety priorities for 2024-2029

During a high-level discussion, held at the European Parliament during the EFSW24 on 21 November, ANEC Lead Programme Manager Michela Vuerich outlined the key areas where ANEC sees how a European Fire Safety Strategy could be beneficial for consumers:

Coordination & Sharing of Good Practices:

Foster civil society participation from the planning to the execution of Fire Safety Strategies to prevent avoidable deaths and harm.

Data-Driven Safety:

Continuation of the EUFireStat project and creation of a pan-European accident and injury database.

Promoting a Safety Culture:

Raising public awareness through a push for Fire Safety Education with special attention to the needs of vulnerable groups.

ANEC is grateful to the EFSW organisers, especially the European Fire Safety Alliance and the Forum for European Electrical Domestic Safety, for bringing such critical discussions to the forefront.

Prevention of CO poisoning

During ANEC’s participation in the European Fire Safety Week (EUFSW), as well as through the ANEC Discussion Paper “Enhancing fire and life safety and creating awareness about domestic life safety”, we highlighted need for awareness raising on risks to safety caused by carbon monoxide (CO).

In November, several persons -  including children and older people - were hospitalised following several CO poisoning incidents in Belgium. The cause seems to have been the indoor use of a charcoal barbecue for heating or cooking. Others around Europe have not been so relatively lucky, with deaths from CO poisoning not uncommon.

As accidents involving carbon monoxide (CO) are more common during the colder months, ANEC has reminded consumers through social media never to use a charcoal barbecue indoors as a heating source, because of the very real risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Consumer Safety International (CSI) and ANEC awareness campaign on CO.  

ANEC also supported an awareness campaign, launched by the Brussels Fire Brigade, the Belgian Poison Control Centre and gas-provider Sibelga, aimed at informing and protecting citizens against the ‘silent killer’.

Sustainability

Tethered bottle caps

Beverage containers and their caps are among the worst contributors to single-use plastic waste found on beaches, prompting the EU to adopt Directive 2019/904/EU. This regulation mandates that lids of beverage containers up to three litres remain attached during use to mitigate environmental impacts. However, the solution presents usability challenges for children, elderly individuals, and those persons with physical impairments.

Against this background, the DIN Consumer Council conducted a study to gather feedback from consumer groups with a view to identifying design improvements for tethered caps. Participants, including children, older people and those with manual or visual impairments, evaluated various cap types. None of the designs fully satisfied users, with issues ranging from the difficulty in opening caps, to injuries and spills. The study highlighted the critical role of the container’s stability, lid design, and required force for usability and consumer satisfaction.

The full study is available for download: Usability and consumer acceptance of tethered caps, and more information can be found in the article on DIN Consumer Council's Website. 

The findings have led to recommendations to be brought into regulatory, manufacturing, and standardisation practices, such as need to revise EN 17665 “Packaging - Test methods and requirements to demonstrate that plastic caps and lids remain attached to beverage containers” and developing a terminology standard. The study emphasises the need for designs that balance environmental goals with usability to cater to all consumers, including vulnerable groups.

Tethered caps – the webinar

On 22 November, the DIN Consumer Council and ANEC hosted a webinar to discuss the findings of the German study (see above) with ANEC members and experts. Stefanie Scholz, Project Manager at the DIN Consumer Council, presented the key insights, with moderation by Boštjan Okorn, Chair of the ANEC Sustainability WG, and Michela Vuerich, ANEC Lead Programme Manager for Sustainability & Services.

ANEC’s Sustainability WG is committed to incorporating the study’s recommendations into its advocacy efforts, presenting them to standardisers and EU policymakers to improve the usability of tethered caps while achieving environmental goals.

For further details, find the full report on Usability and consumer acceptance of tethered caps on DIN Consumer Council website. Enquiries can be directed to Stefanie Scholz at the DIN Consumer Council: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Ecodesign

Workshop on Ecodesign and Energy Labelling

ANEC, BEUC & ECOS hosted a joint workshop for our members and experts to explore the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and what is next for sustainable products.

The event prompted discussion between environmental and consumer experts, exploring key principles for new sustainability labels and how to best inform consumers, as well as identifying priorities towards longer-lasting electronics and textiles.

The workshop was possible thanks to the EU-funded Ecodesigned4LIFE project.

Traffic & Mobility

Children in cars

During 2-6 December, ANEC advanced its work on Child Safety at the UN ECE Working Party on Passive Safety (GRSP) in Geneva. We engaged in discussions on how to tackle risks with children left in vehicles, opening the way to develop regulatory measures. ANEC has long advocated for such work.

The GRSP agreed to look into door opening systems in passenger cars, following reports of fatalities in vehicles equipped with electrically-operated door locks that did not work when the car caught fire.

We also attended the “Protection of Children in Cars” annual conference in Munich during 9-11 December. Several speakers addressed fake or counterfeit approvals of child restraint systems and imported products often not meeting type approval requirements.

News from ANEC member countries

United Kingdom

Which? investigation shows over 90% of toys they bought from online marketplaces are 'illegal' to sell in the UK

Which?, the United Kingdom consumer association, recently tested 23 toys bought from online marketplaces including AliExpress, eBay, and TikTok Shop. Swallowable magnets, easily-accessible button batteries, sharp points and strangulation risks were among the problems found.

The investigation shows that many unsafe (mostly unbranded) toys are still available from online marketplace. Enforcement and market surveillance are crucial to make the market safer and to better protect children.

Read the full article.  

And before we go. . .