One currency, one charger: How the EU changed life for consumers

With Europeans heading to the polls on June
9 for the EU-wide parliament elections, AFP takes a look at how the bloc has
changed life for consumers:

– One currency –

The Deutsche mark, the franc, the Italian lira and the peseta are distant
memories.

Two decades ago, countries began to ditch their national currencies to adopt
the euro.

Today, 20 of the European Union’s 27 members use the euro as their sole legal
tender.

Money transfers can now be made without fees between eurozone countries while
travellers no longer have to worry about foreign exchange rates.

The euro has even gained acceptance in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy,
whose citizens had initially feared the currency would cause prices to rise.

Germans nicknamed the euro the “teuro” — a play on words that combines
“euro” with the German word for “cheap,” “teuer”.

The debt crisis that hit Greece and other eurozone nations in the 2010s put
the currency through its biggest test, but countries launched financial
support measures to help their neighbours and fend off fears of a breakup of
the monetary union.

Europeans do not seem to miss their old currencies: a European Commission
survey in late 2023 showed that 79 percent of people living in the eurozone
believe the euro is a good thing for the EU.

– Free roaming –

The end of roaming fees across the EU in 2017 was a life-changer for the
bloc’s residents.

People no longer have to worry about running up expensive phone bills when
crossing borders.

Kevin Eon, a Frenchman who works at a startup based in the Netherlands, kept
his French phone number after his move, saving him the trouble of acquiring a
local SIM card.

“It makes life easier,” Eon said. “It’s a huge time saver.”

– One phone charger –

Another phone revolution is a rule coming into force later this year imposing
one type of charger for all portable electronic devices.

All manufacturers selling in the bloc will be obliged to use the USB-C port
on phones, tablets, speakers and other portable tech.

Most devices already use these cables, but Apple was more than a little
reluctant.

The firm said in 2021 that such regulation “stifles innovation”, but by
September last year it had begun shipping phones with the new port.

– Flight compensation –

The EU has taken steps to protect the rights of air travellers.

Airlines must compensate passengers between 250 and 600 euros ($270 and $650)
in case of long delays or flight cancellations.

Companies are also required to provide beverages, meals and accommodation, if
necessary.

Airlines, however, can cite “extraordinary circumstances” to avoid
compensating passengers, frequently leading to legal disputes.

– Cookie consent –

Since 2018, the EU’s general data protection regulation (GDPR) forces
websites to ask for consent before installing “cookies” — the programmes
that track internet activity in order to create targeted advertising.

Instead, people now have to deal with pop-up windows that ask them for
consent.

“It’s annoying sometimes. Other times, I don’t care,” said Marta Riboni, a
27-year-old Italian. “It depends how much time I have.” (BSS/AFP)