How EU policy affects everyday lives of Europeans
Brussels: Often criticised as a red-tape bureaucracy removed from the everyday concerns of people, the European Union in fact directly impacts on the lives of its 500 million people.
Recent key decisions by the parliament and the European Commission have affected every area of public policy, from the mundane to the critical, from mobile phone roaming fees to food security and the right to open a bank account.
- Europe and mobile phones
By the end of 2015, roaming fees on calls and SMS messages sent between EU countries should be a thing of the past.
Fearful of hefty charges when they return home, many Europeans avoid using their mobile phones and devices while abroad.
The European Commission, the EUs executive arm, campaigned long and hard to get roaming fees scrapped and the European Parliament approved the measure in April. The European Council, representing the blocs 28 member states, still has to sign off on the deal.
This is what the EU is all about getting rid of barriers to make life easier and less expensive, said EU Commissioner for the digital agenda Neelie Kroes.
Under the deal, mobile phone companies will have to offer customers roam like at home packages covering the whole of the EU, or allow them to subscribe to separate service providers when crossing a national border, without having to change their original SIM card.
The EU has been working for years to cut smoking rates, despite the best efforts of the tobacco industry, with a particular focus on stopping young Europeans taking up the habit.
By 2016, two-thirds of the surface of tobacco packets will carry graphic health warnings and horrific photos of smoke-damaged lungs. Flavoured cigarettes, including menthols, will be banned from 2020.
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How EU policy affects everyday lives of Europeans