From December 28, all mobile phones sold must have the same universal charger | Domestic

Last year, the European Parliament gave the green light to the introduction of a universal charger for smartphones and other small electronics. From the end of 2024, these devices must all be equipped with a USB-C port, so that consumers can always use the same cable when purchasing a new device.

“That is not only convenient. By reducing the number of chargers, the waste mountain also becomes smaller,” says De Sutter. A universal charger will be mandatory for laptops from 2026.

In addition, the gambling sector is becoming more restricted. All advertising is prohibited, although the government can provide exceptions to this through a Royal Decree.

Now that reasoning has been reversed: what is prohibited is listed in a KB. The advertising ban should help prevent people from gambling addiction. According to the Superior Health Council, advertising plays an important role in the acceptance and normalization of gambling. In addition, there will be an age limit of 21 for any form of gambling and the proliferation of ‘3.3 slot machines’, which often appear in youth centers or gas stations, will be cut back.

The text of Green MP Stefaan Van Hecke has come an exceptionally long way in parliament. His first bill dates back to 2019. Afterwards, hearings and opinions followed and the text was adjusted several times.

In November, the opposition sent the text from the plenary to the Council of State again. “The gambling lobby is doing its job,” Van Hecke responded at the time. “Tonight the champagne corks will pop at the gambling multinationals.”

Now he sounds completely different. “We had to fight for four years against the gambling lobby and against politicians who allowed themselves to be taken advantage of. But finally we can now protect players better.”

The N-VA abstained from the vote. The opposition party regrets, among other things, that the National Lottery escapes the stricter rules. These should be the same for everyone, said MP Christoph D’Haese. Marijke Dillen (Vlaams Belang) was also critical of this.

The House also gave the green light for the establishment of ‘Consumerconnect’, a new digital consumer platform. This is the first step towards a central point of contact for consumers.

Consumers now often get lost in the numerous government reporting points and helpdesks. At the federal level, there are various channels at the FPS Economy alone where consumers can go with complaints and questions. The federal food agency FAVV, the financial watchdog FSMA and the FPS Finance also have their own reporting points.

With ‘Consumerconnect’, the information within the powers of the FPS Economy will be centralized from the beginning of next year. Later, the intention is for the other federal administrations to join in and a single central point of contact for consumers will be created.

Consumerconnect is an interactive platform where consumers can ask questions. They will also be able to submit reports to the various inspection services, says State Secretary for Consumer Protection Alexia Bertrand (Open Vld).