On Wednesday, Parliament approved a new law banning single-use plastic items such as plates, cutlery, straws and cotton buds sticks. 560 MEPs voted in favour of the agreement with EU ministers, 35 against and 28 abstained. The following products will be banned in the EU by 2021: Single-use plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons and chopsticks) Single-use plastic plates Plastic straws Cotton bud sticks made of plastic Plastic balloon sticks Oxo-degradable plastics and food containers and expanded polystyrene cups New recycling target and...

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●Internet platforms are liable for content that users upload ●Some uploaded material, such as memes or GIFs, now specifically excluded from directive ●Hyperlinks to news articles, accompanied by “individual words or very short extracts”, can be shared freely ●Journalists must get a share of any copyright-related revenue obtained by their news publisher ●Start-up platforms subject to lighter obligations Creatives and news publishers will be empowered to negotiate with internet giants thanks to new copyright rules which also contain safeguards on freedom of expression. MEPs adopted...

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The European Commission has fined Nike €12.5 million for banning traders from selling licensed merchandise to other countries within the EEA. This restriction concerned merchandising products of some of Europe's best-known football clubs and federations, for which Nike held the licence. Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: "Football fans often cherish branded products from their favourite teams, such as jerseys or scarves. Nike prevented many of its licensees from selling these branded products in a different country...

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