MAY 2009 CONSUMER RIGHTS Commission's first Consumer Digital Round Table and Summit issues warnings to industry on privacy concerns Commissioner Kuneva hosted the first ever European Consumer Summit in Brussels on 1-2 April entitled "Consumer Trust in the Digital Marketplace". This was preceded by a roundtable on 31 March with invited participants from industry including ENPA and civil society. The summit consisted of a series of policy workshops and panels of experts on consumer challenges and opportunities in the digital world. Consumers' engagement with the provision of free content online funded through advertising has led the Commission to question whether people are paying for their content with their personal details in the advent of recent debates on technologies such as Phorm. ENPA was represented at the roundtable by Florian Nehm of the company Axel Springer AG. ENPA communicated to the Commission that consumer trust is of the highest importance for newspaper publishers and existing legislation is adhered to by publishers. The basis for the roundtable talks was a non-paper issued by the European Commission on data collection, targeting and profiling of consumers for commercial purposes in online environments, which is currently open to public consultation. The Commission is in the process of identifying some grey areas in the application of current consumer policy legislation to the digital environment. Commissioner Kuneva gave a speech at the roundtable, where she conveyed the message that an "adequate response" by industry to consumers' concerns on the issues of data collection and profiling will be assessed by the Commission and if industry drags its feet then the Commission may consider regulation. IAB Europe, representing industry at the summit reported that it is currently considering whether possible guidelines on industry practice in this area would be appropriate. The website for the event and followup can be found at: http://www.european-consumersummit.eu/ HEADLINES CONSUMER RIGHTS 1 First Digital Round Table and Summit TELECOMMUNICATIONS Intense trialogue negotiations on Telco Package ongoing 2 EQUAL TREATMENT 3 Media excluded from the scope of Equal Treatment Directive! AUDIOVISUAL 4 New public consultation on second draft of Broadcasting Communication FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION 4 European Parliament listens to ENPA regarding Czech press freedom threat INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Parliament votes for extension of copyright term for sounds 5 FINANCIAL INFORMATION 6 Commission launches consultation on Market Abuse Directive ONLINE Subscribe to the ENPA Monthly Review in English and French online at www.enpa.be. The European Newspaper Publishers' Association (ENPA) is the main advocate of the interests of European newspaper publishing industry towards the European institutions. We represent over 5,200 national, regional and local newspaper titles, published in 23 EU Member States as well as in Norway and Switzerland and read by over 300 million Europeans a day.