European Union

While trade wars threaten across the Atlantic, enhanced economic cooperation could be the key to stability in the EU’s southern neighbourhood.

Serbia's political life is heating up in August as discussions about its relations with Kosovo have reached frantic speed, varying from a possible partition of its former province to exchange of territory and border changes.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte declared on Wednesday (15 August) a state of emergency covering the region around Genoa after a bridge collapse killed 39 people and severed the port city's mainland corridor with southern France.

Politicians are increasingly calling on businesses and citizens to prepare for a no-deal scenario.

A new class of pesticides positioned to replace neonicotinoids may be just as harmful to crop-pollinating bees, researchers cautioned Wednesday (15 August).

The US said on Wednesday (15 August) the EU and four of its planemaker states have failed to bring subsidies for Airbus into line with a World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling of last May, an accusation refuted by the EU.

The red-green alliance of Swedish social democrats, leftists and greens are set to win the upcoming election, with a combined 39 percent support, according to a new SVT/Novus poll published on Thursday. The conservative-led centre-right opposition alliance parties are backed by 36.6 percent, while the anti-migration Sweden Democrats are polled as second largest single party with 21.6 percent support. The general election is on 9 September.

The Mediterranean rescue ship Aquarius arrived at Valletta harbour in Malta on Wednesday (15 August) to allow 141 migrants to get off, ending a five-day tug-of-war among EU countries which had seen the vessel banned from docking in several ports.

Italy's prime minister Giuseppe Conte declared on Wednesday a 12-month state of emergency in the north-western Liguria region and released €5m from the national emergency fund for immediate needs, following the collapse of a motorway bridge in Genoa on Tuesday, killing at least 39 people. Some experts had warned it would be more economical to demolish the bridge and rebuild it.

An online public survey on whether EU states should keep changing their clocks between summer and wintertime closes on Thursday. People are asked about their overall experience with the scheme, whether they want to keep it, and for what reasons. The shift of clocks has existed at EU level since the 1980s and was mainly designed to save energy. Finland, among others, suggested scrapping the arrangement.

On his way to meet German chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Saturday, Russian president Vladimir Putin will attend the wedding of Austrian foreign minister Karin Kneissl, the Kremlin has confirmed. Kneissl was nominated by the far-right FPO party as an independent member for the post of foreign minister. She is marrying businessman Wolfgang Meilinger, under tight security.

With European elections coming up in May 2019, you probably want to know how the European Union impacts your daily life, before you think about voting. In the latest in a series of posts on what Europe does for you, your family, your business and your wellbeing, we look at what Europe does for people unhappy with their purchase.

Have you have ever bought something that you weren’t happy with when you got home? If so, EU rules provide you with a certain set of rights.

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© Samo Trebizan / Fotolia

One is that you can change your mind within 14 days, without giving a reason, if your purchase was made online, over the phone, by mail order, or you bought it from a door-to-door salesperson. Be careful though, because this right does not apply when you buy a product in a shop, or if the product was tailor-made especially for you.

Regardless of where you bought the item, if it is faulty, you have the right to have it repaired or replaced by the seller. If this does not work out, you have the right to get the price reduced or a full refund. Throughout the EU, the legal guarantee for products is always at least two years. However, during the first six months there is an assumption that a product that doesn’t work was faulty from the start, after which, in most countries, it is you who has to prove that this was the case.

Remember, though, that these rules apply only if you bought from a business. If you buy from a private person, even if the goods they sell are new, EU consumer rules do not apply and your rights depend exclusively on national law.

If you have problems with an item you bought in another EU country, and you are unable to resolve the issue with a professional seller, you can turn to the European Consumer Centre. Regardless of where the product was bought, you can also try to settle the dispute out-of-court using an alternative dispute resolution procedure or through the ODR platform if it was bought online.

Further information

• European Commission’s Your Europe website on guarantees and returns, https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/index_en.htm
• European Commission’s Your Europe website on out-of-court procedures for consumers, https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/consumers-dispute-resolution/out-of-court-procedures/index_en.htm
• EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service: www.epthinktank.eu

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At least 35 people were killed in Genoa on Tuesday morning when part of a motorway bridge collapsed. The bridge, almost 1.2 kilometres in length, spanned the Polcevera River, railway facilities and a densely populated area of the city. In the view of commentators the tragedy didn't occur by chance.

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