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Newsletter

December 2022


Our mascot Charles wanted us to keep the New Year’s decorations up on CCC’s virtual offices, so please do not mind this cute consumer choice advocate on top of the page. 

If you want to give him some virtual nuts, you can follow us on FacebookInstagramTwitter, and LinkedIn.

Also, we did not want to dishearten Charles because honestly, he did a lot last year: we had over 1300 media hits, 5 new colleagues, and a lot of new ideas!

Over 1300 media hits (let me do the math for ya, almost four hits a day), and here are some of our favorites:

UAE Tops The Global Ranking In Fighting Covid-19 | MSN

Free Up The Cannabis Market | Financial Post

The Trouble With King Charles’ Unorthodox Views On Modern Farming | The Hill

Das Sind Die Zehn Besten Bahnhöfe In Europa – Der European Railway Station Index 2022 | Stern.De

The Study Reveals 62% Of Smokers Believe Anti-Smoking Policies Ignore How Difficult It Is To Stop Smoking | Yahoo News

A Day Late And A Dollar Short: Liberal Budget Fails Consumers | Financial Post

If you want a lovely ride down memory lane, I strongly suggest you to check out each of them.
King Charles piece is my personal favorite: an ambitious journey from Buckingham Palace to the corn fields of Missouri.

Last but not least, the CCC family grew a lot last year! We have 5 new colleagues working with us in championing the benefits of freedom of choice, innovation, and abundance in everyday life. Please welcome Emil Panzaru, Zoltán Kész, Elena Podaneva, Gogi Kamushadze, and yours truly!

We wish you a happy new year with a lot more freedom of choice, innovation, and abundance in your everyday lives!

November 2022

November was like a bullet train for us at Consumer Choice Center: we’re very excited to publish our annual Sharing Economy Index, and our North American Affairs Manager David Clement was invited by the ECR party to present to MEPs and stakeholders in Brussels on the topic of PFAS and what smart regulations look like.

The CCC was *very online* this month. We had successful media hits on Orban’s price controls in Politico EU, Brussels Report, and Libération, and some stellar podcast episodes on Maltese cannabis and healthcare competition with Emmanuelle Faubert!

Also, don’t forget to check out our social media campaigns against the EU’s myopic agricultural policies and higher taxes for nicotine products. While you’re at it, don’t mind us asking for some love on FacebookInstagramTwitter, and LinkedIn.

Let’s move on to our top picks for the month!

Getting Sustainability Right  ♻️
“Paper or plastic?” It’s often hard to make the right choice for your pocketbook and the environment. Looking at the facts, we discover that plastic has many benefits. Its invention has been a revolution in many areas: from medical equipment to cleaning gear, from packaging to extend shelf-life to containers keeping our food intact for delivery.In many cases, plastic is in fact the more sustainable choice for consumers. Organizations such as Greenpeace pretend to have the moral high ground without having the facts: single-use plastic shopping bags outperform all its alternatives when it comes to the environment.
Our own Senior Policy Analyst Bill Wirtz points it out here: “Any rule or regulation that restricts the choices of consumers is bad. However, it somehow is even worse when the suggested rule does not even achieve the results it intended. Banning plastics would not just deprive us of products we need but also increase our carbon footprint in many sectors.”
Open Skies for All 🇨🇦🛬
Is there anything more related to freedom than flying? For birds, maybe. Not necessarily for visitors of Ottawa. It is very strange that still, in 2022, the federal government decides how many flights can land in Canada from a certain country based on… a document called “Open Skies Agreement”. The agreement applies to 24 countries and EU member states, and allows consumer choice to prevail when it comes to traveling there and back. For others, there seems to be an unwanted tariff.
As our North American Affairs Manager David Clement says: “If a market-based approach is good enough for 24 countries plus Europe, why isn’t it good enough for all countries? We should let the market decide where Canadians want to travel to, how often and with what carrier.” Preach!
Crypto in Europe after FTX Collapse 🇪🇺
Is there anyone who hasn’t yet heard about FTX and modern villain Sam Bankman-Fried? It’s been an interesting couple few weeks for crypto-nerds out there while many are just struggling to keep up with the latest crypto terms. On top of all that, the EU is crafting its own regulatory scheme in the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) to supposedly avoid such an FTX in Europe–more confusion.
Fret no more! Our Deputy Director Yaël Ossowski has the perfect piece for you to make sense of it all and he really leans into the principle behind decentralized technologies: “It would benefit us all if rules help bring regulatory clarity, keep shady actors at bay and provide financial transparency. If we want to craft the future of decentralized digital money, it will mean smarter rules that punish bad actors while promoting financial sovereignty.”Added to that, in the US many progressive legislators want to do everything to keep Bitcoin and its crypto offspring from reaching Americans’ hands. Yaël writes up an article pointing out the many progressive tenants of the Bitcoin and crypto economy. Must share with your bleeding heart friends!We’ll also be meeting with regulators in both the US and Europe to discuss the best path for consumer-friendly policies on cryptocurrencies. Keep an eye out for our thoughts afterward!
That is all from us this month! We hope you stay tuned our great work around the world, and please reach out if there are some pressing consumer issues we shouldbe covering.

October 2022

Halloween was hardly the scariest day of October this year. The UK changed their Prime Minister twice in two months, and elections in Brazil created new talking points–to say the least. As always, our team in the Consumer Choice Center has been working tirelessly to defend your rights on every front possible. Before we start, please give us some love on our social media channels because let’s be honest, it is the easiest way to keep up with our work and the team.

Onwards, shall we?

Greens/EFA Report goes after plant researchers.It fails.If you have been following us closely, you already know that the EU is determined to set the bar very low in quality for agricultural policies. They constantly turn their backs on innovation and technology for the sake of ideological talking points. Worse, they do it at the expense of everyone else.In this piece, our Research Director Dr Emil Panzaru points out the inconsistencies of the Greens’ response to the agricultural crisis in Europe: “uncontrollable” genetic engineering, “unsafe mutations”, benefits of 100% organic farming, and much more. As Emil says, Europe’s agricultural policies are “less about science than it is about the politics in science.” Check it out here.
Press Conference in Brussels 
Together with the World Vapers’ Alliance, CCC is fighting the good fight for consumers’ lifestyle choices. In October, we had two major events to remember our cause.First, we held a press conference in Brussels to present the results from our survey on Perceptions on Tobacco Harm Reduction and Nicotine in France and Germany. Let me give you two shocking facts here, but you can read more here:Only 3 out of 15 doctors in Germany say they know the term “harm reduction”.69% of smokers in France and 74% of smokers in Germany wrongly believe nicotine causes cancer.
Politicians Are Coming for the App Store
On the other side of the world, the Wild West is wildin’ as usual. New legislation and an antitrust lawsuit threaten Apple’s monopoly over its App Store. Our Tech Policy Fellow Satya Marar correctly identifies that “It would also encourage investment in developer start-ups and could lower prices for in-app purchases, including for emerging technologies like NFTs, by allowing developers to circumvent Apple’s commissions through alternative digital payment methods.”
Satya also points out to the other unintended consequences of the Open App Markets Act, which may have some negative implications, too. I will leave it to you to find them out in the piece here.

Last but not least, our European Railway Station Index is still getting media attention!Inspired by two indices, the European Consumer Airport Index and the European Train Station Index in 2020. We looked at Europe’s 50 largest railway stations and ranked them in terms of passenger experience, crowdedness, and the variety of destinations. Check it out on our website!Also, keep your eyes peeled for this year’s Sharing Economy Index in the upcoming weeks!
That is all from us this month! We hope you stay tuned our great work around the world, and please reach out if there are some pressing consumer issues we shouldbe covering.

September 2022

Throughout September, the CCC team has been avidly defending consumer choice across the world. Here’s a recap of some of our accomplishments from this past month!

The trouble with King Charles’ unorthodox views on modern farming

While the House of Commons is considering a bill that would allow genetic engineering in crops, the new King seems to be fond of organic farming. The policies that Charles III supports would fundamentally damage the global farming system. Adopting organic practices would increase carbon dioxide emissions. Bill suggests the influential monarch abandon his unfounded views on modern agriculture and not stand in the way of helping farmers and consumers alike. 
READ MORE

Yael called for the waiver and then repeal of the Jones Act!

In the aftermath of the devastating Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, a ship containing 300,000 barrels of much-needed diesel fuel wasn’t able to dock due to the 1920 Jones Act that mandates only US ships can ship goods between US ports. Yael called for an immediate waiver of the Jones act to speed up rescue operations in Puerto Rico and along America’s coasts. He stressed that “In a time of economic uncertainty, high gas prices, and rising inflation, the Biden Administration and its agencies should be more focused on protecting citizens in need rather than their labor union constituents.” Thankfully, Jones Act has been waived, but now it’s time to repeal it altogether. 
READ HERE

Generation End Game – Malaysia Edition

Malaysian government recently announced quite an ambitious public health plan Generation End Game (GEG), that would ban the use, possession and sale of cigarettes and vape products for those born after 2007. In response to this, our team member from Malaysia, Tarmizi, organised a webinar called Ending Generation End Game, Rules of Law and the Constitution, where it was stressed that “Consumers need to be given the right to choose and that right cannot be taken away by the government in any way”On a good note, more than 700,000 people have signed the petition to reject GEG, so hopefully, this plan will not be moving forward.
READ MORE

Free up the cannabis market

Even though cannabis has been legal in Canada for a couple of years now, the legal market only accounts for 59% of all cannabis consumed. In his latest op-ed, David suggests steps that would lead to more people purchasing their products through the legal market, the first of which would be removing CBD products from the Cannabis Act. 
READ MORE

Some more addition to our team!

The CCC team is growing! We are happy to announce our newest members, Dr. Emil Panzaru and Zoltan Kesz. Emil, a recent King’s College London graduate with a PhD in Political Economy, will be leading our team’s research efforts. Zoltan Kesz, a former Hungarian MP, has joined us as a Government Affairs Manager and will help us broaden our political network to achieve more policy goals. Please join us in welcoming them!
READ MORE 

Coming Soon – Sharing Economy Index 2022

The long-awaited Global Sharing economy Index 2022 is almost out!  Last year we had Tallinn and Tbilisi share first place; let’s see what has changed in the sharing economy world since then. Keep an eye on our social media for the release of our latest research piece!

P.S. In the meantime, take a look at last year’s index
 
READ HERE
That’s a wrap for this month! Make sure to follow us on our social media channels to get all the updates we couldn’t fit in here! See you next month

August 2022

Hello there!
Our team has been working around the clock to defend you and your consumer choice! Let me take you through the last few weeks.

Just another misguided attempt to improve sustainability
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  is moving to essentially ban the commonly used pesticide atrazine. The current administration is weaponising for its political ambitions cutting down on pesticides, even if it is contrary to its own scientific advice. Bill writes that this move would increase food insecurity and prices at a time when American consumers can afford it the least. But do the environmentalists know that this ban would harm the environment?
READ MORE

Yael gives his thoughts on student loan forgiveness
Yael was recently interviewed on Hot Talk 99.5FM by host Joe Catenacci. He expressed his skepticism about Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, especially in the light of current high inflation. He stressed the importance of reforming the federal loan system, without which, we would just be endorsing bad behavior of taking out huge loans 
LISTEN HERE

We know just how to ease the plasma shortage in Canada

Plasma is a valuable resource used to make medicines that treat burns, immune deficiencies, and respiratory diseases, but unfortunately, Canada produces only enough to meet 13.5 of the national demand. 80 per cent of Canada’s plasma therapies are derived using plasma from American donors, who are compensated for their donations. David writes that if we want to decrease reliance on imports and increase domestic supply, we just need to start compensating plasma donors.
READ MORE

Catch up on the latest episodes of our podcasts

The weekend is almost here, and if you were looking into what podcasts to listen to, we have great recommendations for you. In the latest episode of ConsEUmer podcast, Bill talks about the crackdown on private jets in France and discusses a potential EU ban on nicotine product sales for people born after 2010.  As for Consumer Choice Radio, we welcome David back from his dad leave, and he’s ready to share tips and tricks for new dads. David and Yael also take time to rant about ArriveCan and Canada’s COVID restrictions and give some thoughts on alcohol recommendations. 
ConsEUmer Podcast
Consumer Choice Radio

Checking in on the bees

Bill has been on fire recently, writing an op-ed after op-ed. This time he’s checking in to see how the bees are doing. Turns out they’re just fine. As opposed to the widespread claim that bees are dying because of certain pesticides, evidence shows a different picture. The number of bee colonies in the United States has been stable for 30 years, and the regional declines in bee populations are often due to a reduced demand for beeswax or honey, which makes beekeepers shrink their supply of managed bees
READ MORE 🐝

Another great addition to the CCC team  🎉

The Consumer Choice team keeps growing! Say hello to our Junior Graphic Designer Elena Podaneva. Elena has worked with global brands across many sectors, and she is also focusing on applying her skill sets to social causes. We are glad to increase team #consumerchoice and fight the good fight!
READ MORE
That’s a wrap for this month! Stay tuned on all of our social media channels for more info on our current activities. If you want to support our work, please consider making a donation HERE

David Clement
North American Affairs Manager

July 2022

Hello there!
Throughout July, the CCC team has been avidly defending consumer choice across the world. Here’s a recap of some of our accomplishments from this past month!

The U.S. sports betting index is out!
Want to know which states outlaw sports betting, where and how consumers can place bets and who controls betting? We’ve got you covered! Our latest index ranked all 50 states according to how consumer friendly and accessible their sports betting market is. Download the full paper to know why it is so important to have sports betting legal!
READ MORE

The United States should fully embrace harm reduction
Harm reduction is one of the key pillars of President Biden’s National Drug Control Strategy, but those addicted to nicotine are not given a proper chance to switch to less harmful alternatives. Juul labs were recently denied the ability to continue selling vaping devices, much to the joy of public health officials. Yael writes that 40 million smokers in the US deserve the opportunity to switch to a less harmful product to satisfy their addiction. 
READ HERE

The CCC team is growing

We’re excited to welcome Tarmizi bin Anuwar to our team as country associate Malaysia. Tarmizi has extensive experience in Malaysia’s political and civil society movements and will use his expertise to defend consumer choice and freedom in his home country.
READ MORE

Proposed crypto surveillance rules will harm consumers!
Our crypto fellow recently published a blog post, evaluating the EU’s proposed crypto surveillance rules. He says that rules introduce regulations that are far from technologically neutral, are detrimental to innovation, and will harm consumers who depend on cryptocurrency services. And of course, he’s offering more consumer friendly alternatives to these regulations that promote innovation, protect consumers, and create a better ecosystem that will benefit all Europeans.
READ HERE

The municipal broadband network fairytale doesn’t have a happy ending for consumers.

A historic $65 billion investment has been allocated to bolster broadband throughout the country. Consumers want access to high speed internet at reasonable prices, but Liz and Yael claim that municipal broadband networks won’t get them there. Instead, they offer viable solutions to the common obstacles preventing consumers from accessing high speed internet. Make sure to read our latest paper on the dangers of municipal broadband!
READ MORE

Our second staff retreat in Tbilisi

Our team members gathered in the capital city of Georgia, Tbilisi, for our second retreat of the year. Working remotely from different countries around the world, staff retreats are something every team member looks forward to. We finally got the chance to talk in person, catch up, evaluate our year so far and discuss our plans and strategy for the remainder of it. I guess we could say we’re trying to live in the moment and that’s why we forgot to take a group photo. Sorry!
Thank you for your attention, as you can see it’s been quite a productive month! We have a lot of projects in progress, so make sure to follow our social media to be the first to know about them!

Luka Dzagania
Graphic Designer

June 2022

Want to know what the Consumer Choice Center team has been up to for the past month? Let’s go through some of our best moments together


European Railway Station Index 2022 is out!

Want to know which European cities offer the best experience for passengers traveling by train? We’ve got you covered. We looked at Europe’s 50 largest railway stations and ranked them in terms of passenger experience and a mix of factors ranging from how crowded platforms are and accessibility to the number of destinations. This year’s leader is Zurich HB followed by Frankfurt Main hbf and Munchen hbf. Make sure to read the full paper for more information on this!
READ MORE

Crossover episode between ConsEUmer podcast and Consumer Choice Radio

We had the hosts of ConsEUmer podcast and Consumer Choice Radio join their forces and deliver an amazing episode discussing G7 – politicians becoming jokers, Macron making a case for American oil and also giving an advice how tip in North America – very useful one for Europeans traveling across the atlantic. This also happens to be 80th episode of ConsEUmer podcast, give it a listen! 
LISTEN HERE

FDA’s Menthol Melee hosted by Yael

In response to the FDA’s proposed rules to outlaw both menthol cigarettes and all flavors in cigars, we hosted our own session, called the Menthol Melee. Yael brought together community organizers, law enforcement, researchers, and policy experts who talked about why the FDA’s proposed bans on flavored cigars and menthol cigarettes will do more harm than good, emphasizing the impact these bans will have on minority communities, interactions between police and citizens, illicit markets and safety, public health, and more. If you haven’t already, make sure to watch the full video!
WATCH HERE

Instead of embracing harm reduction, Canada is taking a step in the wrong direction

Ottawa is not only targeting vape flavours but also scaling up taxation. Targeting vaping with flavour bans and high taxation will certainly discourage people from vaping but it will also encourage some former smokers to go back to cigarettes and keep some current smokers from switching to vaping. Vaping is an effective harm reduction tool and should be incorporated into any plans of achieving a smoke-free society, as has already been done in the United Kingdom.
READ HERE

War-induced food crisis in Europe could serve as a good example for the US

The European Union’s ambitious Farm to fork strategy, among others aiming to reduce farmland by 10 percent, and cut pesticide use in half, has been put on hold due to war-induced food crisis, with Macron making it clear that now is not a good time for such drastic changes. Lawmakers in the United States have, in the past, attempted to copy European Union food regulations, but hopefully, the current European crisis will serve as a good example of why this is not such good of an idea for a country that has already fallen behind China and India on the worldwide scale of food production.
READ MORE

Not in my backyard mentality in crypto policy is a no-go!

In this blogpost, Yael points out everything that is wrong with the bill awaiting its fate in the Senate, that would impose a two-year moratorium on crypto mining permits, and launch an expansive environmental review. In times of such high inflation and having people who are locked out of the traditional finance and banking sector, their choices will become even more limited.
READ HERE
Thank you for your attention, as you can see it’s been quite a productive month! We have a lot of projects in progress, so make sure to follow our social mediato be the first to know about them!

May 2022

We’re back bringing you the latest updates from the team CCC. Let’s recap what we have been up to this past month!

Removing patent protection will cost us decades of progress

Member states of the World Trade Organization are discussing a draft agreement on TRIPS flexibility to waive intellectual property protections. If adopted, the agreement would legalise compulsory licencing, a practice that allows the government to hand out the right to produce COVID-19 vaccines without the consent of a patent owner. While the mass production of vaccines is a noble goal, Maria warns us that scraping patent protection will create a dangerous precedent and will put all future innovations in jeopardy.
READ MORE

Bees are doing just fine!

In his latest op-ed, Bill reiterates that declines of both managed and wild bees occur naturally through weather changes and the decisions of beekeepers about how many bees they currently need. Radical conservationists have blamed pesticides for the decline of bee population, even though there has been a 35% increase of beehives since 2000. Bill calls for journalists to do a better job at fact-checking and not to spread misinformation in their chase of catchy click baits.  
READ MORE

PFAS ban or EV transition? The choice is up to Democrats

Democrats have put electric vehicles at the heart of their climate ambitions. But little do they know that their green agenda can not be realized without PFAS, so-called forever chemicals that they want to ban altogether. In this op-ed, Maria and Anna pointed out that these chemicals are an essential part of green energy applications and argue that the ban will simply shift production to countries like China, giving them the upper hand for the production of EV battery, solar panels, and semiconductors.
READ HERE

Canada can learn a thing or two from the US on how to tackle a housing crisis

Our North American Affairs manager David has previously stated that exclusionary zoning is the root cause of the housing crisis. Recently, President Joe Biden voiced the same opinion and the federal government will be seeking to tackle this specific cause in their attempt to alleviate the crisis. The U.S. offers plenty of examples of state and municipal legislators carrying out dramatic zoning reforms which lead to decreasing rental prices. It’s time the Canadian government took and example, abolished exclusionary zoning and started building more houses
READ HERE

Keep an eye on our social media not to miss our first Index of the year

European Railway Stations Index 2022 is coming! We looked at Europe’s 50 largest railway stations and ranked them in terms of passenger experience and according to a mix of factors ranging from how crowded platforms are and accessibility to the number of destinations. Last year Leipzig Hauptbahnhof ended up in well-deserved first place, followed by Wien Hauptbahnhof.  Let’s see which railway station ends up leading the list of this year’s best railway stations.
CHECK OUT LAST YEAR’S INDEX 

Help us fight the Consumer Choice Supervillains

If you’re just as tired of being told what you can or can not consume as we are, we might have a solution for you. We need your help fighting consumer choice supervillains, like mini Michael Bloomberg and Sleepy Joe Biden, watch the video below to find out more!
WATCH HERE
That’s a wrap for this month! Make sure to follow us on our social mediachannels to get all the updates we couldn’t fit in here! See you next month

April 2022

The CCC team is back to deliver the latest updates! We have been working hard defending consumer choice around the world and we are excited to share our accomplishments with you!

Freedom to Choose – Our new podcast in Brazil!

Earlier this year, Fabio, our Head of Communications, launched “Liberdade para Escolher” (Freedom to Choose) – a brand new podcast in Portuguese. Freedom to Choose is the first program in Portuguese dedicated to consumer freedom. From market news, tech, and innovation, to laws and regulations. Each week, Fabio brings you, in a light and enjoyable way, the hottest topics that affect consumers, so you are always well informed.

What are you waiting for? Give it a listen and share it with your Portuguese-speaking friends!
LISTEN HERE

Non-Alcoholic beer will be exempt from excise tax!

It’s always a pleasure to see a positive change in policies we have advocated for. Our North American Affairs Manager, David, wrote an amazing piece about the problem of subjecting non-alcoholized beer to federal excise taxes and explained the arguments against the tax at the meeting with the Department of Finance. Canada’s  Budget 2022 removes alcohol excise taxes on beer containing no more than 0.5% alcohol by volume. This is another great victory for Canadian consumers!This is a step in the right direction and hopefully the start of a national discussion on modernizing the alcohol excise duty structure. 
READ MORE

A new policy paper analyzing the ongoing housing crisis in Canada is out!

Housing affordability is the most pressing issue for young Canadians. Our favorite duo of David and Yael partnered up once again to deliver a great policy paper that analyses current government efforts to fix the problem, in vain. Paper argues that government efforts are not properly addressing the root of the problem- chronic undersupply and provides policy suggestions to better tackle the issue.
READ HERE

It’s time to legalize vaping in Brazil! We have until May 11th!

 In early April, the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) opened a public consultation to collect technical and scientific information on electronic smoking devices (DEFs), popularly known as “vaping”. ANVISA’s objective is to collect information to support its future decisions regarding the import, sale, and advertising of these devices in Brazil. Since 2009, vaping has been banned by ANVISA, but it’s time to change this outdated law!
 To contribute to the consultation is easy!Download the file we’ve prepared hereGo to ANVISA’s websiteFill out the form and upload the file into section 17.Submit!
CONTRIBUTE HERE

US was right to warn the EU about green agriculture

It took a war in Ukraine for the EU to realize how damaging its green ambitions could be. The war in Ukraine threatens food security not only in the poorest countries in Africa but on the wealthy European continent too. Maria put together this amazing piece where she argues this whole drama could have been avoided had the EU been more realistic and listened to the US’s concerns about the unrealistic Farm to Fork strategy embedded in the European Green Deal.
READ HERE

Don’t be fooled by those who want to save you from tech monopolies

What could go wrong if we invite regulators to take more control of how large tech companies operate? Everything!Yael argues that if antitrust actions go too far they won’t deliver perfect competition and vast choice, as intended. It would simply deny internet consumers of innovative options and stall the entrepreneurial forces that have allowed them to grow and provide value.
READ HERE
That’s a wrap for this month! Make sure to follow us on our social media channels to get all the updates we couldn’t fit in here! See you next month

March 2022

Over the course of March, the CCC team has been passionately defending consumer choice across the world. Here’s a recap of some of our accomplishments from this month!

First Retreat of the year in the UAE

For the location of our first retreat we chose the leader of our pandemic resilience index, the United Arab Emirates. We were joined by our Fellows who updated the team on their progress in their respective fields. We got to spend a productive couple of days together in sunny Ajman and planned out our activities for the next couple of months!
 

Vape flavours are in danger and the CCC is here to fight for them!

Remember that last month Liz testified against Alaska’s proposed 75% vape tax? This month, her expertise was required in Connecticut. She testified at the Connecticut General Assembly’s Joint Public Health Committee on a proposed flavored vaping ban and explained how harmful it would be to public health and consumer choice. We hope the state of Connecticut acts in consumers’ best interest and doesn’t take vape flavours away from people trying to quit smoking. 
WATCH HERE

Blanket ban is not a way to go about PFAS

Calls for a complete ban of so-called forever chemicals are intensifying in the EU. Maria wrote an amazing piece explaining why the blanket ban is so problematic and argues that this is an issue that requires careful and ideology-free risk analysis. The EU should strive to protect consumers, but by banning all PFAS, we risk disrupting supply chains and opening up the room for illicit trade, which would be detrimental to consumers.
READ MORE

Catch up on the latest episodes of the ConsEUmer podcast

In this month’s episodes, you can get insightful discussions on topics, such as the ongoing war in Ukraine, Germany’s nuclear reversal, new crypto regulations, and more. One of the episodes is co-hosted by Fabio and as a bonus, we even get a special episode recorded during our staff retreat in the UAE! 
 
LISTEN HERE

Avoid government-run broadband when connecting Michigan residents

Michigan has $100 million to spare for expanding broadband and internet coverage across the state. Liz argues that a better solution is to close the digital divide in Michigan and help broadband consumers to bolster competition. Many private broadband service providers are able to expand or upgrade their services where there is demand, without burdening taxpayers like municipal broadband networks do.
READ HERE

New Labeling system coming to the EU

The EU’s harmonised front-of-pack nutrition labeling system aims to encourage consumers to shift to healthier diets and will be mandatory across all EU countries. Bill presented at a Webinar organised by the Austrian Economics Center and made a case against mandatory labeling, arguing that there is no need for an EU regulation in the first place.  Government bureaucrats should not be giving us advice on what we should and should not consume. With informational tools at hand, individuals should make their own choices without coercion from the government.
 
WATCH HERE
That’s a wrap for this month! Make sure to follow us on our social media channels to get all the updates we couldn’t fit in here! See you next month
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