Holiday didn’t go as planned? Lost luggage? Cancelled flight? The European Consumer Centre (ECC) can help you, providing free support and advice on citizens’ rights when travelling or shopping abroad. In 2010 alone, the ECC handled over 70 000 files, providing advice on a range of issues from mobile phone roaming charges, shopping online to claiming money back for cancelled flights.

On top of the practical information it gives, the ECC also helps consum­ers who want to obtain a refund or a compensation from an airline com­pany. If necessary, the ECC can also file a complaint with the National Enforcement Body responsible for ensuring air passenger rights are complied with.

You will find an ECC in all 27 EU Mem­ber States, as well as in Iceland and Norway. The centres are co-funded by the European Commission and national authorities. The Hungarian Consumer Centre you can find here: www.magyarefk.hu

At the start of the holiday season, the European Commission alerted consumers to the importance of adequate protection from the sun this summer and reminds them to look out for the clearer labelling regime on sunscreen bottles. The new labels - including a new UV-A logo or seal on bottles and a ban on misleading terms such as "sun blocker" or "total protection" - are a response to a Commission recommendation on sunscreen products adopted in September 2006. The Commission is also seeking to remind consumers that there are several reasons why sunscreen products should be only one out of a number of measures which are necessary to protect from the UV radiation of the sun.   >>>

On the occasion of Safer Internet Day 2011, the European Commission announced that it will step up talks with ICT industry and children's organisations to encourage the design of safer products to help keep children safe online. Moreover, the Commission will shortly review the 2006 Recommendation on minors and how to protect them in audiovisual media and Internet and on the 2008 Communication on the protection of youngsters from harmful content in video games. Children are going online from a younger age and not just from computers, but also games consoles and mobile phones.  >>>

Have you ever been annoyed for not being able to borrow a friend's or a colleague's mobile phone charger because it wasn't compatible with your phone? This era is coming to an end. A common charger compatible with mobile phones of all brands is the simple idea that the Commission has been pushing for many years. Thanks to the cooperation between fourteen companies and the European Commission the solution is there: onechargerforall.eu. New technical standards for data-enabled mobile phones were published on 29 December 2010. >>>

Each year, around the world, Safer Internet Day is celebrated on the second day of the second week of the second month of the year – the next edition falls on Tuesday 8 February 2011. Hundreds of events are organised not only on that day but throughout February to really raise awareness around online safety issues.

Each year the Insafe network chooses a different theme around which most of the activities proposed on Safer Internet Day will be focused, even though some countries may choose to “localise” their initiatives.

On 8 February 2011 the whole Insafe network will once again join forces to build a bigger and better celebration on the theme that has been chosen to mark the 8th Safer Internet Day edition, virtual lives, and around the slogan “It’s more than a game, it’s your life”. >>>

The Europa Diary is a school Diary, for students in secondary school, aimed as a tool for homework and other school related notes. Its weekly pages include a footnote with a fact of which young people in Europe are not necessarily aware. Some of these footnotes mention holidays of other religions. This is where the regrettable omission of Christian holidays occurred.

The future edition (2011/2012), which is under way, will include the main public and religious holidays celebrated in each of the EU countries.

In addition to the pages for homework, the Diary includes about 100 pages of information for young citizens on issues related to EU activities, such as health and consumer protection, studying abroad, or environmental issues.

The Europa Diary is distributed to schools for free, upon request by teachers. It has an accompanying teacher's guide, with suggestions for using its editorial content in the class room. It has been a successful and effective tool to bring key messages about the EU to a young audience.  >>>