GSMA-ETNO Position Paper on the New Consumer Agenda

Tuesday 6 Oct 2020 |

GSMA-ETNO Position Paper on the New Consumer Agenda image

The telecoms sector is characterised by evolving service, improved trust, and enhanced customer relationships. A result of strong competition between providers, innovation and considerable ongoing investments in networks and services, consumers derive considerable benefit from our services. As a sector defined by providing services to meet new demands and challenges, and one which develops and makes use of new technologies, we welcome the European Commission’s ambition in its forthcoming New Consumer Agenda: consumers must be at the heart of the Green and Digital Transitions in Europe, responding to the most important challenges of today with a holistic and coherent vision on the role of consumers.

Consumers are a crucial enabler of, and recipient of the benefits of, the Green and Digital Transitions. Such challenges present an opportunity to evaluate the EU’s consumer agenda, and specifically certain pieces of legislation, including the General Product Safety Directive, to ensure they are fit for purpose in a digital and green economy. Such challenges also represent an opportunity to realise not only the Green and Digital Transitions, but also improve digital literacy among consumers, which is continually of high interest for telecoms operators.

A New Consumer Agenda in Europe should not only respond to challenges, such as ensuring that consumers are guaranteed the highest protection and provided with accurate information regarding new technologies, but it should also make the most of opportunities to empower the consumer, and ensure readiness for the green and digital transitions.

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For more information please contact:

Pierantonio Rizzo

Director, EU Affairs, GSMA

Pierantonio Rizzo leads the public policy activities on Digital Economy and Society matters at the GSMA Europe. In his role of Director EU Affairs, Pierantonio is responsible for Platform economy, Data, Artificial Intelligence, Consumer policy and Disinformation. He also contributes to the work of the European Commission’ stakeholders expert group on the REFIT of Consumer law.

Prior to joining the GSMA in 2017, Pierantonio worked at the European Parliament for an Italian MEP, where he followed the activities of IMCO and AFET Committees. He began his career as policy analyst at Rohde Public Policy, a public affairs consultancy firm.

Pierantonio holds a Masters of European Affairs from the Catholic University of Paris and a LLM from the University of Bologna, during which he had an exchange program with the Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas. Pierantonio speaks Italian, English, French and is currently learning Spanish.

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