Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash Influencer advertising and marketing has been one of the fastest-growing industries of the last decade. Perceived by consumers as closer, more authentic and more trustable than traditional advertising or celebrity endorsement, influencers are attracting more and more brand investment. However, unlike traditional advertising, which is subject to very strict rules, influencer advertising…
Photo by L N on Unsplash The EU Commission has proposed a Toy Safety Regulation revising the current rules to protect children from potential risks in toys. Toys put on the EU market are said to be already among the safest ones in the world. But the EC says the proposed rules will further improve this protection, in…
Photo by Kai Pilger on Unsplash Special commemorations will take place in Charleroi next month in memory of one of the worst ever disasters in Belgium. On 8 August 1956 some 262 miners perished in the Bois du Cazier in Marcinelle. They included 136 Italians, more than half the victims. Today, the site is preserved as an industrial heritage…
Photo by Liam Riby on Unsplash The latest report by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC), just published, announced that vehicle breakdowns in Britain caused by potholes have now reached a five-year high. The number of potholes is also increasing – a stark contrast to the proud legacy over two centuries of the country leading the world in road-building technology….
Photo by Kevin Kelly on Unsplash A new report from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) says that although numerous EU member states are imposing stricter limits or outright bans on alcohol advertisements, these restrictions do nearly nothing to lower alcohol consumption levels. Public health campaigners have long insisted that alcohol advertising bans could help reduce sales and, by…
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash The Bertelsmann Stiftung has appointed manager Saori Dubourg and diplomat Arancha González Laya to its Board of Trustees effective 1 July. Dubourg was previously a member of the Board of Executive Directors at BASF SE. González Laya is dean of the Paris School of International Affairs at the French university Sciences Po…
Photo by Rafay Ansari on Unsplash The blueprint for a net-zero industry “lacks vision on how to ensure Europe’s industry stays competitive and attracts investment.” That is the view of the European Economic and Social Committee, the body that represents the various economic and social components of organised civil society. It is an institutional consultative body established by…
Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash Last year the UK National Health Service (NHS) booked some 122 million patient appointments, with outpatients making up 80% of the total. With e-mail and SMS messaging apparently regarded as unproven technologies, patients were generally notified by letter costing over £112 million – despite a pledge by Jeremy Hunt as Health Secretary…
Photo by Amber Kipp on Unsplash MEPs have voted to drop proposed restrictions on pollution from factory farms. Campaigners says this “sabotages” the European Commission’s efforts to step up environmental and climate action. They also claim the vote follows “pressure by the big agribusiness lobby.” A statement by Compassion in World Farming EU said, “Parliamentarians decided to give all…
Photo by camilo jimenez on Unsplash A new law will, it is claimed, ensure that EU sanctions are enforced uniformly across member states, with common definitions and dissuasive penalties. On Thursday, MEPs in the Civil Liberties Committee of the EU parliament adopted a draft negotiating mandate on violating and circumventing EU sanctions by 36 votes in favour, 2…
