The Government has been accused of promoting business interests over the wishes of consumers when it comes to telling people where processed meat comes from.

Get a taste of some of the interesting and quirky happenings in Europe from our Europe correspondent, Ann Cahill.

Car manufacturers are using a range of tricks to pretend their vehicles use much less fuel and that they spew less polluting CO2 into the air than they actually do.

US chipmaker Intel yesterday lost its challenge against a record €1.06bn EU fine handed down five years ago, as Europe’s second highest court said regulators did not act too harshly.

Enda might still abandon Mick and Ming

Homeowners who cannot repay their mortgages could just hand back the keys, US-style, under EU legislation voted for by members of the European Parliament.

Airlines will no longer be able to charge consumers extra for booking flights online while the price of goods in shops should fall as the EU moved to curb the costs of paying with plastic.

The finer detail of CAP reform

Moving and shaking on a sticky issue

The European Parliament has rejected a global agreement against copyright theft, handing a victory to protesters who say the legislation would punish people for sharing films and music online.

Some of the top players at Euro 2012 will be wearing shirts with dangerous levels of chemicals, and similar kits will be on sale to the public, an EU body has warned.

NEW agencies designed to oversee the banking sector and prevent crisis are top-heavy with bankers to the detriment of customers, according to the European consumers’ body, BEUC.

AROUND 100,000 adults in Ireland do not have bank accounts — many of them have been refused on the grounds of being too poor, not having a permanent address, or because of their nationality.

IRISH consumers and businesses will be able to avail of fresh business opportunities after the European Parliament rubber-stamped regulations covering online shopping.

DESPITE increasing worries about obesity, members of the European Parliament have voted to all but hide information about the quantity of salt, sugar and fats in foods.

Baby bottle manufacturers were urged today to act now to remove from their products a potentially dangerous chemical which will be outlawed from next June.

THE bank deposit guarantee for European savers will be set at €100,000 under European Commission plans unveiled yesterday.

EUROPE got it right on all counts with its decisions on anti-obesity health promotional food labelling, according to one leading food industry figure.

CONSUMER groups have voiced dismay after MEPs rejected the most popular form of food nutrition labelling – a “traffic-light” colour coding system already in wide use.

COMPLAINTS about children’s toys, as well as cars, clothes and electrical items top the list in relation to products sold in Europe, the EU’s annual report on consumer goods found.

CONSUMER and health groups are pitted against the processed food industry in a battle about how to illustrate food packaging with information on what is in our food.

CROSS-border direct debits are not secure in the way they are being set up by the banks, the European consumers’ organisation, BEUC, has warned.

GOVERNMENTS will not be able to automatically cut off internet access to users who illegally download copyright material under draft new EU legislation just agreed.

“IT’S over to you” was the message from Brussels as Ireland prepared to go to the polls in a second attempt to ratify the Lisbon Treaty.

UNNECESSARY red tape is costing European business €360 billion a year and much of it is there to keep special interest groups happy, according to a high-level report.

American computer chip giant Intel slammed the European Commission today after being served with a record €1.06bn fine for breaching EU rules on fair competition.

A NEW labelling system for food is in danger of telling consumers a product is good for them when in fact it has too much salt, or sugar or fat, BEUC, the European consumers’ body, warns.

New toy safety standards were approved today, updating 20-year-old rules in the wake of a series of scares last year which forced millions of toys off the shelves across Europe.

MEPs today backed tougher EU-wide safety standards for toys, including a ban on toxic chemicals and stricter standards to limit the risk of choking accidents.

PRE-TICKED boxes and other means of tricking consumers into spending more when buying online are to be banned under stricter protection for consumers.

NEW legislation to make toys safer will still allow manufacturers to put goods on the market that could be lethal to children, consumer groups have warned.

A bid to simplify food labelling rules across Europe will be unveiled by the European Commission tomorrow.

The European Commission announced a crackdown on toy safety today after a series of scares posing potential risks to children.

THE EUROPEAN Parliament and a leading consumer group has called for the CE mark to be scrapped because it could mislead people into thinking imported toys and other products were guaranteed safe.

HALF of the population in most EU countries is now overweight or obese while an increasing number of children are dangerously heavy.

AUGUST holidaymakers are set to benefit from dramatic cuts of up to 80% in their roaming mobile phone bills, as EU law makers agree to cap the fees phone companies can charge.

IRISH consumers being ripped off by companies selling anything from insurance to holidays should be able to take US-style class actions to win compensation, the European Commission says.

A European consumer group has accused mobile phone companies of "collusion on a massive scale", because of high roaming changes.

AIRLINE passengers are being charged hundreds of euro more for flights than travellers flying the same journey but in the opposite direction.

EUROPEAN companies that import, manufacturer or use chemicals will have to ensure they are safe.

TWENTY-TWO chemicals used in hair colourings will be banned by the end of the year, Europe’s Industry Commissioner said yesterday.

CONSUMER groups want hidden fat that contributes to heart disease and cholesterol to be limited or banned but the Irish Food Safety Authority says it should be enough to label it.