Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – Protecting businesses against misleading marketing practices and ensuring effective enforcement Review of Directive 2006/114/EC concerning misleading and comparative advertising

The EU's Single Market is a motor for growth and provides consumers with greater choice and better prices. Smart, sustainable and inclusive growth is the objective of the Europe 2020 strategy aimed at helping Europe and its businesses emerge stronger from the crisis and create new jobs. All EU policies are geared towards this objective.

Advertising has a strong economic impact on companies as it is a key element of any business strategy. It allows traders to present their goods and services and is an important element for commercial success. It can also enhance competition by providing customers with better information and the possibility to compare products. In the Single Market, businesses can reach customers from every corner of Europe with a commercial message.

In business relations, customers and competitor firms expect companies to use truthful marketing communication and to act with professional diligence. Small businesses – the mainstay of Europe's economy – are particularly vulnerable to misleading marketing practices as they lack the resources to protect themselves. They need a clear and efficient framework safeguarding fair competition and providing effective means to enforce it.

This Communication gives an overview of how the Misleading and Comparative Advertising Directive is currently implemented in the Member States, identifies problems in how it is applied and outlines plans to revise it in the future.

EUR-Lex: COM(2012)702: Follow the progress of this document through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2012:702:FIN

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