30/11/2017 (Agence Europe) – New European rules to strengthen cooperation and mutual assistance among national consumer protection authorities across the EU in the digital age have been adopted. On Thursday 30 November, the Council of the EU formally adopted, without debate, the new EU regulation which will confer minimum investigation and enforcement powers on national authorities enabling them better to tackle large scale infringements of consumer rights in the internal market and, in particular, online scams (see EUROPE 11904). The growth of the digital single market and the rise in the cross-border retail trade in the EU made it imperative that the framework regulation on cooperation between national authorities (2006/2004) be modernised. The new regulation will replace this outdated text and will help increase trust in e-commerce by citizens and companies. (AN)