EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Endeligt svar på spørgsmål 16: Spm. om oversende al hidtidig korrespondance om mulighederne for at indføre en reklamer, ja tak-ordning inden for EU-retten, til erhvervsministeren, kopi til udenrigsministeren

Europaudvalget 2022-23 (2. samling)
EUU Alm.del
Offentligt

Bilag 1a

From:

Susanne Aamann <[email protected]>

Sent:

Thursday, March 19, 2020 2:57 PM

To:

Subject:

Printed advertisements - the green agenda

Dear

I write to you on behalf of the Danish Competition and Consumer Agency. First and foremost, I hope you all

in the DG JUST Consumer Policy Unit are doing well and are getting through this special time. We had been

looking forward to meeting you in Croatia in March, but we hope that this situation will not last too long

and that we can meet again some other time soon.

I am writing to you because we are considering whether to take any action on al l the printed

advertisements that citizens receive in their mailbox. This is primarily due to climate and environmental

considerations, but also because many citizens find it annoying to receive these advertisements. It is

possible to discard advertisements with a so-called opt-out solution, according to which citizens order a

sticker they can put on their mailbox. The sticker shows, that you do not want to receive advertisements.

But in other areas, such as telephone inquiries and inquiries by mail, one must not approach citizens

without consent - opt-in solution - and there may be reason to consider whether this should also apply in

the analogue world.

We are interested to hear whether, as part of the Green Agenda, the Commission has made some

considerations on printed advertising and, for example an opt-in scheme? We are also interested in

discussing your view on such an opt-in solution in the light of the rules of eg. the Commercial Practices

Directive.

We would therefore like to inquire whether the Commission has the opportunity to meet with the Danish

authorities, for example in May or June for a discussion of these matters?

Kind regards

Susanne Aamann

Forbrugerjuridisk Chef

Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen /

The Danish Competition and Consumer Authority

Direkte +45 4171 5285

E-mail

[email protected]

Carl Jacobsens Vej 35

2500 Valby

Tlf. +45 4171 5000

Vi arbejder for velfungerende

markeder. Se vore privatlivspolitik på

kfst.dk.

Bilag 1b

Fra:

Sendt:

19. marts 2020 19:28

Til:

Susanne Aamann <[email protected]>

Cc:

Emne:

RE: Printed advertisements - the green agenda

Dear Ms Aamann,

Thanks for your message, I too hope that you and your colleagues are managing to cope with the current

unprecedented situation.

Thanks also for raising an interesting point. I cannot comment on the extent to which the unsolicited

printed advertisement can be considered contrary to the existing consumer legislation addressing

consumer rights or unfair commercial practices – I leave this to my colleague

(here in copy) and her

team in unit JUST E2. From JUST E1’s perspective, it could be indeed interesting to explore the sustainability

aspect of these practices and their relation with our planned efforts to better empower consumers to

contribute to the green transition agenda. I will discuss with the members of my team working on this. We

can certainly plan a focused discussion in person if you plan to be in Brussels later in the spring/summer. If

you have already any factual evidence (e.g. statistics on the economic and environmental cost of such

advertisement, consumers attitudes to it, etc.) please do share it in the meantime.

Looking forward to further discussions, I wish you and your colleagues good health and positive spirits in

the coming weeks.

Best regards,

Bilag 1c

Fra:

Susanne Aamann

Sendt:

20. marts 2020 22:09

Til:

Emne:

SV: Printed advertisements - the green agenda

Dear

Thank you very much for your promt and positive reply. We look forward to starting a dialogue with

and her team in unit JUST E2.

We very much appreciate the offer to meet and discuss the sustainability aspect of these practices.

We will return with suggestions for dates.

Kind regards.

Susanne Aamann

Forbrugerjuridisk Chef

Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen /

The Danish Competition and Consumer Authority

Direkte +45 4171 5285

E-mail

[email protected]

Carl Jacobsens Vej 35

2500 Valby

Tlf. +45 4171 5000

Bilag 1d

From:

Susanne Aamann <[email protected]>

Sent:

Thursday, June 18, 2020 16:43

To:

Cc:

Pernille Berglund Gunge (EM-DEP) <[email protected]>; Kristina Agerbæk Riber

<[email protected]>

Subject:

Unsolicited printed advertisement

Dear

I am writing to you to follow up on my e-mail below to

unsolicited printed advertisement.

regarding

We had a fruitful meeting last week with

and some colleagues from

his team, but as I understand it, it would be relevant, that we have a discussion with

your team too.

As also described in my e-mail below, the Danish Government are considering

whether to take any action on all the printed advertisements that citizens receive in

their mailbox - primarily due to climate and environmental considerations. In

Denmark is possible to discard advertisements with a so-called opt-out solution,

according to which citizens order a sticker they can put on their mailbox. The sticker

shows, that you do not want to receive advertisements.

What we are interested in discussing such an opt-in scheme for unsolicited printed

advertisements in relation to the UCPD. Would it be possible to have a meeting

with us maybe for just half an hour during week 27 (29/6-3/3)? In is also possible

for us the week before.

Kind regards

Susanne Aamann

Forbrugerjuridisk Chef

Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen /

The Danish Competition and Consumer Authority

Direkte +45 4171 5285

Bilag 1d

E-mail

[email protected]

Carl Jacobsens Vej 35

2500 Valby

Tlf. +45 4171 5000

Vi arbejder for velfungerende

markeder. Se vore privatlivspolitik på

kfst.dk.

Fra:

Sendt:

19. juni 2020 11:44

Til:

Susanne Aamann <[email protected]>

Cc:

Pernille Berglund Gunge (EM-DEP) <[email protected]>; Kristina Agerbæk Riber

<[email protected]>;

Emne:

RE: Unsolicited printed advertisement

Dear Susanne Aamann,

We will be very pleased to meet you « virtually « on this topic. It should be

feasible in week 27 but please bear with me for a few days more: we are

currently involved in heavy legislative work and I don’t know exactly when we

are going to be available that week.

My assistant

will be in contact with you mid next week (week 26

)

once we know better of our availabilities to fix the meeting

Best regards

European Commission

DG Justice and Consumers

Head of Unit

JUST E2 – Consumer and Marketing Law

LX40 04/015

B-1049 Brussels/Belgium

Bilag 1e

"The

views expressed are purely those of the writer and may not in any

circumstances be regarded as stating a formal position of DG JUST or the European

Commission".

Bilag 1f

From:

Susanne Aamann <[email protected]>

Sent:

Tuesday, June 23, 2020 10:24

To:

Cc:

Pernille Berglund Gunge (EM-DEP) <[email protected]>; Kristina Agerbæk Riber

<[email protected]>;

Subject:

SV: Unsolicited printed advertisement

Dear

Thank you very much for your reply.

We will await

for further information.

Kind regards

Susanne

Bilag 1g

Fra:

Til:

Cc:

Emne:

Dato:

Vedhæftede filer:

Susanne Aamann

Kristina Agerbæk Riber

RE: Unsolicited printed advertisement

24. juni 2020 09:25:48

image003.png

image004.png

image005.gif

Dear Ms Aamann,

Following your request for a meeting with

, can I kindly propose some dates taking into

account our Unit’s availabilities?

On 6 July at 11h00

On 7 July at 11h00

If the above dates do not suit you, please do not hesitate to contact me in order to find a more

convenient one.

Best regards,

--------------------------------

Assistant to the Head of Unit

JUST.E.2 Consumer and Marketing Law

Directorate General Justice and Consumers

European Commission

Rue Luxembourg 40 - B - 1000 Brussels

Tel:

E-mail:

Bilag 1h

Fra:

Til:

Cc:

Susanne Aamann

Pernille Berglund Gunge (EM-DEP); Kristina Agerbæk Riber;

Emne:

Dato:

Vedhæftede filer:

RE: Unsolicited printed advertisement

29. juni 2020 19:40:55

image001.png

image002.gif

image003.jpg

Dear Ms Aamann,

In agreement with Ms

, I would like to inform you, prior to our meeting of 7

July, about the latest parliamentary question on a possible ‘Yes, please’ scheme for printed

advertising put forward by a Member of the European Parliament, and the Commission’s reply to

it of 30 April 2020.

Please see the links below:

Question:

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2020-000008_EN.html

Answer:

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2020-000008-ASW_EN.html

Best regards,

Deputy Head of Unit / stv. Referatsleiter

European Commission / Europäische Kommission

Directorate General Justice & Consumers / Generaldirektion Justiz & Verbraucher

Unit E2 Consumer and Marketing Law / Ref. E2 Verbraucher- und Marketingrecht

LX40 04/11

Rue du Luxembourg 40

B-1050 Brussels

Bilag 1i

Fra:

Susanne Aamann

Sendt:

11. december 2020 13:11

Til:

Cc:

Tine Nielsen Hertz (EM-DEP) <[email protected]>; Pernille Berglund Gunge (EM-DEP) <[email protected]>; Cecilie

Toft Nørgaard (EM-DEP) <[email protected]>

Emne:

Follow up on meeting regarding an opt-in scheme for printed advertisements in Denmark

Dear

I am writing to you in order to follow up on our meeting in July regarding an opt-in scheme for printed

advertisements in Denmark.

In light of the discussion at the meeting, we would like to follow up regarding the points being discussed on

such a scheme being based on environmental considerations vs. the protection of the consumers’

economic interests.

Please find our follow up letter attached.

Keeping in mind, that it is a busy time for the Commission, I would like to ask if it is possible to give just a

brief feedback on when you have the opportunity to follow up on our inquiry, as the political negotiations

in Denmark regarding this issue, among other things, await a clarification of the relationship with relevant

EU-regulation.

Thank you very much in advance.

Kind regards

Susanne Aamann

Head of Unit, Consumer Policy Division

The Danish Competition and Consumer Authority

Direkte +45 4171 5285

E-mail

[email protected]

Bilag 1i

Carl Jacobsens Vej 35

2500 Valby

Tlf. +45 4171 5000

Vi arbejder for velfungerende

markeder. Se vore privatlivspolitik på

kfst.dk.

Bilag 1i

Head of Unit

Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers

Date: 11. december 2020

Case: FORCE-20/12511-2

Ref: /KAR

Dear Mrs.

D ani sh C om petiti on and

C onsum er A ut horit y

I am writing to you as a follow up on our meeting on 7 July 2020 about a

possible “opt-in”-scheme for printed advertisements in Denmark.

As discussed at our meeting on 7 July, the Danish Government are consid-

ering whether to take action against all the printed advertisements that cit-

izens receive in their mailbox - primarily due to climate and environmental

considerations. In Denmark, it is possible to discard advertisements with a

so-called opt-out solution, according to which citizens order a sticker they

can put on their mailbox. The sticker shows that you do not want to receive

advertisements.

The purpose of an “opt-in”-scheme is to ensure, that printed advertisements

only reach those who wish to receive them. This anticipated lower demand

may lead to less production of printed advertising and thus lower CO2

emissions.

As we also discussed at the meeting, a regulation based on environmental

considerations will fall outside the scope of the Unfair Commercial Prac-

tices Directive.

However, our understanding from the discussion of the meeting was also,

that since the UCP directive regulate the protection of the consumers’ eco-

nomic interests, all commercial practices from businesses that are affecting

the consumers’ economic interests are covered by the total harmonization

of the UCP directive.

A derived effect of an “opt-in”-scheme in relation to affecting the consum-

ers' economic interest is, that consumers are not offered the printed adver-

tisements unless they actively request them, and thus are not presented to

the same choices and options in the market.

Therefore, in the light of the discussion at the meeting, we would like the

Commission to

confirm,

that if the scheme is justified in environmental

reasons, it falls outside UCP even though such a scheme can be expected

to have a derived effect on consumers' economic interests.

Thank you in advance for your much-appreciated reply on this matter.

Carl Jacobsens Vej 35

DK-2500 Valby

Tlf.

+45 41 71 50 00

CVR-nr. 10 29 48 19

EAN-nr. 5798000018006

[email protected]

www.kfst.dk

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY, BUSINESS

AND FINANCIAL AFFAIRS

Bilag 1i

Yours sincerely,

Susanne Aamann

Head of Unit

Danish Competition and Consumer Authority

Bilag 1j

Fra:

Til:

Cc:

Emne:

Dato:

Vedhæftede filer:

Susanne Aamann

Kristina Agerbæk Riber; Cecilie Toft Nørgaard (EM-DEP)

SV: Follow up on meeting regarding an opt-in scheme for printed advertisements in Denmark

27. januar 2021 12:09:58

image001.gif

Dear

We kindly bring our questions to mind, please see e-mail below.

If you need any further information from us, you are of course welcome to contact us.

Venlig hilsen

Susanne Aamann

Kontorchef, Forbrugerpolitisk Center

Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen /

The Danish Competition and Consumer Authority

Direkte +45 4171 5285

E-mail

[email protected]

Carl Jacobsens Vej 35

2500 Valby

Tlf. +45 4171 5000

Vi arbejder for velfungerende

markeder. Se vore privatlivspolitik på

kfst.dk.

EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Endeligt svar på spørgsmål 16: Spm. om oversende al hidtidig korrespondance om mulighederne for at indføre en reklamer, ja tak-ordning inden for EU-retten, til erhvervsministeren, kopi til udenrigsministeren EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Endeligt svar på spørgsmål 16: Spm. om oversende al hidtidig korrespondance om mulighederne for at indføre en reklamer, ja tak-ordning inden for EU-retten, til erhvervsministeren, kopi til udenrigsministeren

Bilag 1k

Fra: ve_just.e.2(JUST) <[email protected]>

Sendt: 2. februar 2021 15:39

Til: Susanne Aamann <[email protected]>

Emne: Ares(2021)901964 - [Re] ‘Opt-in’ scheme for printed advertising in Denmark

Please find attached document Ares(2021)901964 from

02/02/2021.

Veuillez trouver ci-joint le document Ares(2021)901964 de

daté du 02/02/2021.

(JUST.DDG.E.2) dated

(JUST.DDG.E.2)

Bilag 1k

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

DIRECTORATE-GENERAL JUSTICE AND CONSUMERS

Directorate E – Consumers

Brussels,

JUST/E2/LR/Ares(2021)

Ms. Susanne AAMANN

Head of Unit - Consumer Policy

Division

Danish Competition and

Consumer Authority

Carl Jacobsens Vej 35

2500 Valby

E-mail:

[email protected]

Subject:

‘Opt-in’ scheme for printed advertising in Denmark

Dear Ms. Aamann,

Thank you for your letter of 11 December 2020 in which you outline a possible ‘opt-in’

scheme for printed advertising in Denmark and its possible consequences for Danish

consumers. My apologies for the delay in responding to you.

You explain that the Danish Government is considering an ‘opt in’ scheme primarily due

to climate and environmental considerations.

In its reply of 30 April 2020 to the parliamentary question E-8/2020

, the Commission

stated that an ‘opt-in’ scheme for printed advertisement, which does not pursue, directly or

indirectly, the objective of the protection of consumers' economic interests, but other goals

such as environmental protection, would fall outside the scope of the Directive

2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices. See in this respect the relevant case law of the

Court of Justice (C-540/08

Mediaprint

and C-206/11

Köck).

The Court of Justice has also

held that it is for the national authorities and courts to decide whether a national provision

is intended to directly or indirectly protect the interests of consumers (C-13/15

Cdiscount).

In any event, it is necessary to verify that the national law complies also with other Union

law and, in particular, with the fundamental freedoms laid down in the Treaty on the

Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). That means that national law must be non-

discriminatory, and any potential obstacles to the internal market would have to be

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2020-000008-ASW_EN.html

Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111

Bilag 1k

justified by an overriding reason of public interest and be proportionate. As mentioned

during our meeting of 7 July 2020, I recommend consulting the relevant services in DG

GROW (in particular unit GROW B1 – free movement of goods, and GROW E1 –

services).

Please note that the above is an informal assessment of my services based on the

information you have provided and not a formal position of the European Commission.

Yours sincerely,

(e-signed)

Head of Unit

Electronically signed on 01/02/2021 19:38 (UTC+01) in accordance with article 11 of Commission Decision C(2020) 4482

Bilag 1l

Fra:

Kirstine Dahl

Sendt:

19. marts 2021 08:30

Til:

Cc:

Maria Egstrand <[email protected]>; Mette Godiksen <[email protected]>; Cecilie Toft Nørgaard (EM-

DEP) <[email protected]>; Susanne Aamann <[email protected]>

Emne:

Concerning requirements on printed advertisements in relation to EU law/The Green Deal

Dear colleagues,

I hope you have all settled well into your new positions following the reorganization, and despite the

ongoing pandemic are doing well.

I am writing to you because the Danish government is considering whether to take any action on all the

printed advertisements that citizens receive in their mailbox. This is primarily due to climate and

environmental considerations, but also because many citizens find it bothersome to receive these

advertisements. At the moment, it is possible to discard advertisements with a so-called opt-out solution,

according to which citizens order a sticker they can put on their mailbox. The sticker shows, that you do not

want to receive advertisements. But in other areas, such as telephone inquiries and inquiries by mail, one

must not approach citizens without consent - opt-in solution - and there may be reason to consider

whether this should also apply in the analogue world.

We are interested in discussing your view on such an opt-in solution in the light of the rules of the Services

Directive and the TFEU’s articles on free movement of goods. We have already been in con tact with

Commission Experts concerning the Commercial Practices Directive who suggested that we also took these

rules into consideration. We would therefore like to inquire whether the you or relevant colleagues have

time to meet with experts from the Danish Business Authority, Competition and Consumer Authority and

Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, after the Easter holiday at the beginning of April for a

discussion of these matters?

Kind regards

Kirstine Dahl

DANISH BUSINESS AUTHORITY

Dahlerups Pakhus

Langelinie Allé 17

DK-2100 København Ø

Telephone: +45 35291000

Direct: +45 35291529

E-mail:

[email protected]

www.erhvervsstyrelsen.dk

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY, BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL AFFAIRS

Bilag 1m

Fra:

Kirstine Dahl <[email protected]>

Sendt:

18. april 2021 09:20

Til:

Cc:

Maria Egstrand <[email protected]>; Mette Godiksen <[email protected]>; Cecilie Toft Nørgaard (EM-

DEP) <[email protected]>; Susanne Aamann <[email protected]>; Tine Strand Thomsen <[email protected]>

Emne:

SV: Concerning requirements on printed advertisements in relation to EU law/The Green Deal

Dear colleagues,

I hope you are doing well.

Did you have the chance to investigate this inquiry? Also, as a follow up to

’s e -mail – would you

also know which experts on the Services Directive would be relevant to direct the message to?

Best,

Kirstine

Kind regards

Kirstine Dahl

DANISH BUSINESS AUTHORITY

Dahlerups Pakhus

Langelinie Allé 17

DK-2100 København Ø

Telephone: +45 35291000

Direct: +45 35291529

E-mail:

[email protected]

www.erhvervsstyrelsen.dk

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY, BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL AFFAIRS

The Danish Business Authority is responsible for the processing of personal data we receive about you. Read more about purpose and legal

basis for our treatment of data on

erhvervsstyrelsen.dk

(in Danish).

Bilag 1n

From:

Sent:

Monday, April 19, 2021 2:07 PM

To:

[email protected]

Cc:

; Maria Egstrand <[email protected]>; Mette Godiksen

<[email protected]>; Cecilie Toft Nørgaard (EM-DEP <[email protected]>; Susanne Aamann <[email protected]>;

Tine Strand Thomsen <[email protected]>;

Subject:

FW: Concerning requirements on printed advertisements in relation to EU law/The Green Deal

Dear Ms Dahl,

Due to the reorganisation in DG GROW your e-mail below might have remained unanswered. I am now

responsible for DK in the area of free movement of goods but am also copying my colleague

from

the services unit and

from DG JUST, which you might have spoken to already.

No problem to organise a call, what about next week? On my side best options would be:

Monday 26

- all day

Wednesday 28

– in the afternoon

Friday 30

– all day

I leave it also to the colleagues to express their preferences.

Best regards,

Legal Officer

European Commission

Directorate - General for Internal Market, Industry,

Entrepreneurship and SMEs

GROW/E2 Enforcement II

1040 Brussels, Belgium

Office:

Bilag 1n

Tel:

e-mail:

Facebook:

Twitter:

Our Websites:

EU Growth

@EU_Growth

ec.europa.eu/growth

Bilag 1o

Fra:

Sendt:

19. april 2021 15:29

Til:

Cc:

Kirstine Dahl <[email protected]>

Maria Egstrand <[email protected]>; Mette Godiksen

<[email protected]>; Cecilie Toft Nørgaard (EM-DEP <[email protected]>; Susanne Aamann <[email protected]>;

Tine Strand Thomsen <[email protected]>;

Emne:

RE: Concerning requirements on printed advertisements in relation to EU law/The Green Deal

Dear all,

Wednesday 28

– in the afternoon works for me.

Many thanks and all the best,

Legal Officer

European Commission

Directorate General Justice & C onsumers

Unit E2 C onsumer and Marketing Law

LX40 04/11

Rue du Luxembourg 40

B-1050 Brussels

Bilag 1p

Fra:

Kirstine Dahl <[email protected]>

Sendt:

21. april 2021 14:14

Til:

>; Maria Egstrand <[email protected]>; Mette Godiksen

<[email protected]>; Cecilie Toft Nørgaard (EM-DEP <[email protected]>; Susanne Aamann <[email protected]>;

Tine Strand Thomsen <[email protected]>;

Emne:

SV: Concerning requirements on printed advertisements in relation to EU law/The Green Deal

Dear

, dear

Thank you very much for your replies. I understand if the reorganization has caused a few unanswered e -

mails. Wednesday 13-14 would be perfect for us. We will send you the invitation ASAP.

Best,

Kirstine

Med venlig hilsen

Kirstine Dahl

Fuldmægtig

ERHVERVSSTYRELSEN

Europapolitik og EUs Indre marked

Dahlerups Pakhus

Langelinie Allé 17

2100 København Ø

Telefon: +45 35291000

Direkte: +45 35291529

E-mail:

[email protected]

www.erhvervsstyrelsen.dk

ERHVERVSMINISTERIET

Erhvervsstyrelsen er ansvarlig for behandlingen af de personoplysninger, vi modtager om dig. Læs mere om formål og

lovgrundlag for databehandlingen på erhvervsstyrelsen.dk.

Hvis du sender følsomme oplysninger, opfordrer vi til, at du bruger din digitale postkasse på Virk.

Bilag 1q

Fra:

Til:

Cc:

Emne:

Dato:

Vedhæftede filer:

Susanne Aamann

Cecilie Toft Nørgaard (EM-DEP); Søren Boisen Westh (EM-DEP)

Danish Opt-in scheme regarding unsolicited advertisements

2. juli 2021 12:37:04

Opt-in scheme regarding unsolicited advertisements.pdf

image001.gif

Dear

and

As previously discussed with the European Commission, The Danish Government is considering

whether to adopt new legislation on the printed advertisements citizens receive in their mailbox

- primarily due to environmental considerations.

I continuation of our discussion I hereby send you the attached note, that describes the current

opt-out scheme in Denmark regarding unsolicited printed advertisements and a similar model

for a possible opt-in scheme.

Please do not hesitate to contact us, if you have any further questions.

Kind regards

Susanne Aamann

Forbrugerjuridisk Chef

Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen /

The Danish Competition and Consumer Authority

Direkte +45 4171 5285

E-mail

[email protected]

Carl Jacobsens Vej 35

2500 Valby

Tlf. +45 4171 5000

Vi arbejder for velfungerende

markeder. Se vore privatlivspolitik på

kfst.dk.

Bilag 1q

European Commission

Date: 2. juli 2021

Case: FORCE-19/13390-47

Ref: /SAA

Opt-in scheme regarding unsolicited printed advertisements

Danish Competition and

As previously discussed with the European Commission, The Danish

Government is considering whether to adopt new legislation on the print-

ed advertisements citizens receive in their mailbox - primarily due to en-

vironmental considerations.

This note describes the current opt-out scheme in Denmark regarding

unsolicited printed advertisements and a similar model for a possible opt-

in scheme.

The current opt-out scheme in Denmark

Currently in Denmark, it is possible to discard advertisements with a so-

called opt-out solution, according to which citizens can order a sticker

they can put on their mailbox. The sticker shows that a given address

does not want to receive printed advertisements. It is possible to order the

sticker regardless whether it is private citizens, traders, institutions, asso-

ciations, clubs, authorities, etc., and for what purpose. The stickers are

valid until the citizen, trader etc. either moves from the address or active-

ly unsubscribes from opt-out scheme. A registration is registered in a

database; cf. the provisions of the Danish Postal Act in this regard.

It is a Danish distribution company (FK Distribution) that administrates

the database and the registrations. The distribution company is also in

charge of handling complaints regarding the scheme.

There are two different stickers to choose from:

1. "Advertisement - No thanks"-sticker: You do not receive unsolic-

ited printed advertisements. You will however still receive local

weekly newspapers, free newspapers, evening school catalogs and

similar material.

2. “Advertising and free newspapers - No thanks"-sticker: You do

not receive unaddressed printed advertisement, local weekly

newspapers or other material, such as evening school catalogs.

Consumer Authority

Carl Jacobsens Vej 35

DK-2500 Valby

Tlf.

+45 41 71 50 00

CVR-nr. 10 29 48 19

EAN-nr. 5798000018006

[email protected]

www.kfst.dk

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY, BUSINESS

AND FINANCIAL AFFAIRS

Bilag 1q

The sticker do not cover everything. For instance, the citizen will contin-

ue to receive information material from the state, region and municipali-

ty. Charities, patient associations, political parties and religious institu-

tions may also send printed matter even if there is a mark on the mailbox.

It can be, for example, election material or church magazines. Personal-

ized advertisements with a name and address are exempted from the

scheme, but it is also possible to avoid receiving these by subscribing to a

special list administered by the authorities. It can be, for example, elec-

tion material or church magazines.

Both the sender and distributor must respect if an address has registered

the opt-out scheme and have a sticker on the mailbox. If someone re-

ceives an advertisement despite the sticker, it is possible to complain to

the advertising distributor. If the complaint is rejected it is possible to

complain to the Consumer Ombudsman.

The scheme is supplemented by an opt-out plus scheme, according to

which citizens can choose what type of material they want to receive, eg.

whether they do not want offer newspapers from supermarkets, but would

like to receive the local newspaper

The scheme is not statutory. It was made by the industry in collaboration

with the Consumer Ombudsman. The framework for the scheme is based

on a voluntary agreement between the relevant parties set out in a set of

guidelines issued by the Consumer Ombudsman.

A model for a possible opt-in scheme

It is the intention that a possible opt-in scheme should work in a similar

way as the current opt-out scheme. However, with the important distinc-

tion that in order to receive printed advertisement, the citizen, trader etc.

needs to put a sticker on the mailbox. If they do not, it will

not

be al-

lowed to deliver printed advertisements to the address. Just as in the cur-

rent scheme the citizen, trader etc. can order a sticker that they can put on

their mailbox. It is also the intention, that the opt-in scheme will be ad-

ministrated by the industry itself, such as the current opt-out scheme.

As the scheme has not been adopted yet, it is currently not planned in

detail, whether the scheme will include an option to differentiate between

the types of printed advertisements or catalogs etc. one wishes to receive

in the mailbox, but it is a possibility. Furthermore, it will also be possible

to work out a solution after which local newspapers are excluded from

the scheme, so that these will continue to be distribute.

Bilag 1q

As mentioned above, the current opt-out scheme is not statutory, but has

been prepared by the industry in collaboration with the Consumer Om-

budsman. The framework for the scheme is based on a voluntary agree-

ment between the relevant parties set out in a set of guidelines issued by

the Consumer Ombudsman. An opt-in scheme could likewise be based on

a voluntary agreement or it could be statutory. The scheme could be im-

plemented in the Danish Market Practices Act, if it is decided to make the

new scheme statutory.

The intention of introducing an opt-in scheme is to lower the amount of

printed advertisements in order to limit the negative environmental im-

pact of these advertisements.

According to the Danish Ministry of Environment, the most recent Dan-

ish data indicates that 113.400 ton of printed advertisements was distrib-

uted in 2016 (including catalogues, advertisements etc.). That amounts to

42.2 kg. per household. According to the waste statistics 138.000 ton of

unsorted paper waste was collected from the Danish households in 2019.

132.000 ton was recycled, while 5.300 ton was incinerated.

Furthermore, the share of households who are a part of the current opt-out

scheme has been stable at around 50 percent since 2017. It seems reason-

able to assume that the reverse scheme – an opt-in solution – will have a

significantly lower subscription rate than the current opt-out scheme, due

to a variety of factors, such as the availability of digitalized advertise-

ments, continued urbanization etc. All things being equal, if the share of

Danish households who actively opts in to a new scheme where to be 25

percent, the amount of wasted paper would be reduced by 50 percent,

which amounts to roughly 56.000 ton of printed advertisements per year.

Thus, it is the Danish Ministry of Environment assessment that an opt-in

scheme will have a positive environmental impact by reducing the total

amount of distributed paper in Denmark.

Therefore, the opt-in scheme seems proportionate to the objective pur-

sued since the magnitude of the potential environmental benefits surpass-

es those of the current opt-out scheme. However, it is impossible to as-

sess exactly how environmentally beneficial an opt-in scheme will be,

given the uncertainty of the aforementioned assumptions.

Alternative solution to an opt-in scheme

It will also be an option to make an alternative solution to on an opt-in

scheme. Such a solution may consist of improving the existing opt-out

scheme.

This can be done by making it easier to maintain the opt-out scheme

when moving. This presents challenges today because one registers the

Bilag 1q

address of the opt-out scheme and not oneself as a person. Therefore, the

scheme does not automatically follow a person when moving.

In addition, the scheme could be strengthened by setting requirements for

the paper on which the distributed advertisements are printed. Such re-

quirements are difficult to enforce in national regulation, and it is there-

fore more likely that such a solution were to be negotiated on voluntary

terms between the relevant parties in Denmark. However, this option

would need further investigation.

Yours sincerely

Susanne Aamann

Head of Consumer Policy Unit

Bilag 1r

Fra:

Til:

Cc:

Emne:

Dato:

Vedhæftede filer:

Susanne Aamann

Søren Boisen Westh (EM-DEP)

VS: Danish Opt-in scheme regarding unsolicited advertisements

7. oktober 2021 14:27:51

Opt-in scheme regarding unsolicited advertisements.pdf

image001.gif

Dear

and

As previously discussed with the European Commission, The Danish Government is considering

whether to adopt new legislation on the printed advertisements citizens receive in their mailbox

- primarily due to environmental considerations.

In the light of the discussions, the Commission has requested some further information from

Denmark, which we have submitted in the attached note on 2 July 2021. The note describes the

current opt-out scheme in Denmark regarding unsolicited printed advertisements and a similar

model for a possible opt-in scheme.

We would like to inquire, if you have had the opportunity to look into the matter?

We are of course available if you have further questions.

Kind regards

Susanne Aamann

Forbrugerjuridisk Chef

Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen /

The Danish Competition and Consumer Authority

Direkte +45 4171 5285

E-mail

[email protected]

Carl Jacobsens Vej 35

2500 Valby

Tlf. +45 4171 5000

Vi arbejder for velfungerende

markeder. Se vore privatlivspolitik på

kfst.dk.

Bilag 1s

Fra:

Til:

Cc:

Emne:

Dato:

Vedhæftede filer:

Sanne Erholt (EM-DEP)

på vegne af

Brian Wessel (EM-DEP)

Søren Boisen Westh (EM-DEP)

Danish opt-in scheme regarding unsolicited printed advertisements.

21. december 2021 09:52:53

Scannet fra EM-DEP-SLG-MF-19001.pdf

Please find attached letter with reference to a Danish opt-in scheme regarding unsolicited

advertisements.

Kind regards,

Sanne Erholt

/On behalf of Brian Wessel

Slotsholmsgade 10-12

1216 København K

EAN

5798000026001

______________________________

Erhvervsministeriet er ansvarlig for behandlingen af de personoplysninger, vi modtager om dig. Du kan læse mere om,

hvordan vi behandler dine personoplysninger på vores hjemmeside https://em.dk/privatlivspolitik.

Erhvervsministeriet gør opmærksom på, at denne e-mail og eventuelle vedhæftede filer er fortrolige. Hvis du ikke er den

tilsigtede modtager, bedes du straks underrette afsenderen ved at besvare denne e-mail og derefter slette e-mailen.

Hvis du har modtaget denne e-mail ved en fejl, skal vi gøre klart, at enhver form for kopiering, offentliggørelse eller

distribution af denne e-mail kan være ulovlig.

Yours sincerely,

Brian W

Deputy

Affairs.

Referring to the latest mail dated 7 October 2021 from the Danish

Competition and Consumer Authority we would like to inquire if the

Commission have had the opportunity to look into the matter and pos

sibly come doser to a legal clarification of whether the scheme com

plies with EU law.

Opt-in scheme regarding unsolicited printed advertisements

We are of course available if you have further questions.

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY, BUSINESS

AND

INANCIAL AFFAIRS

In the light of the discussions, the Commission requested further in

formation from Denmark, which The Danish Competition and Con

sumer Authority submitted in the attached note on 2 July 2021. The

note describes the current opt-out scheme in Denmark regarding unso

licited printed advertisements and a similar model for a possible opt-in

scheme.

As previously discussed with the European Commission, the Danish

Government is considering whether to adopt new legislation on the

printed advertisements citizens receive in their mailbox - primarily due

to environmental considerations.

European Commission

anent Secretary for Business Regulations and International

----

Bilag 1s

DEPUTY PERMANENT SECRE•

TARV OF STATE FOR INDUSTRY,

BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL

AFFAIRS

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY,

BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL

AFFAIRS

Slotsholmsgade 10-12

DK-1216 Copenhagen K

Denmark

Tlf.

Fax

+45 33 92 33 50

+45 33 12 37 78

CVR-nr. 10092485

EAN nr. 5798000026001

[email protected]

www.em.dk

Bilag 1t

Fra:

Til:

Cc:

Emne:

Dato:

Vedhæftede filer:

Søren Boisen Westh (EM-DEP)

Sigrid Dahlerup (EM-DEP); Susanne Aamann; Cecilie Toft Nørgaard (EM-DEP)

Danish opt-in scheme regarding unsolicited printed advertisements.

26. januar 2022 10:36:37

Opt-in scheme regarding unsolicited advertisements.pdf

Dear

and

As previously discussed with the European Commission, The Danish Government is considering

whether to adopt new legislation on the printed advertisements citizens receive in their mailbox -

primarily due to environmental considerations.

In the light of the discussions, the Commission has requested some further information from

Denmark, which we have submitted in the attached note on 2 July 2021. The note describes the

current opt-out scheme in Denmark regarding unsolicited printed advertisements and a similar model

for a possible opt-in scheme.

Furthermore, we have asked in both October and December whether you have had the opportunity to

look into the matter. We eagerly await your response.

We are of course available if you have further questions.

Kind regards,

SØREN BOISEN WESTH (EM-DEP)

Fuldmægtig

Område 2 | Konkurrence, forbruger & selskaber

Slotsholmsgade 10-12

1216 København K

[email protected]

Tlf.

33 92 33 50

Mobil

91 33 71 31

EAN

5798000026001

______________________________

Erhvervsministeriet er ansvarlig for behandlingen af de personoplysninger, vi modtager om dig. Du kan læse mere om,

hvordan vi behandler dine personoplysninger på vores hjemmeside https://em.dk/privatlivspolitik.

Erhvervsministeriet gør opmærksom på, at denne e-mail og eventuelle vedhæftede filer er fortrolige. Hvis du ikke er den

tilsigtede modtager, bedes du straks underrette afsenderen ved at besvare denne e-mail og derefter slette e-mailen.

Hvis du har modtaget denne e-mail ved en fejl, skal vi gøre klart, at enhver form for kopiering, offentliggørelse eller

distribution af denne e-mail kan være ulovlig.

Bilag 1u

Til:

Cc:

Sigrid Dahlerup (EM-DEP) ([email protected]), Susanne Thaarup (EM-DEP) ([email protected]), Cecilie

Toft Nørgaard (EM-DEP) ([email protected])

Fra:

Søren Boisen Westh (EM-DEP) ([email protected])

Titel:

Request: Danish opt-in scheme regarding unsolicited printed advertisements

Sendt:

22-02-2022 17:31

Dear

and

In recent days, the possible opt-in scheme regarding unsolicited printed advertisments has once again

caught the attention of the Danish Parliament.

As you know, we submitted the attached note on 2 July 2021 describing a model for a possible opt-in

scheme as a result of your request in the spring of 2021.

Once again, we would like to request whether you have had the opportunity to look into the matter?

We kindly ask you to confirm that you have recieved this mail.

Kind regards,

SØREN BOISEN WESTH (EM-DEP)

Head of Section

Slotsholmsgade 10-12

1216 København K

soew [email protected]

Tlf.

33 92 33 50

Mobil

+45 91 33 71 31

EAN

5798000026001

Erhvervsministeriet er ansvarlig for behandlingen af de personoplysninger, vi modtager om dig. Du kan læse mere om, hvordan v i

behandler dine personoplysninger på vores hjemmeside em.dk/privatlivspolitik.

Erhvervsministeriet gør opmærksom på, at denne e-mail og eventuelle vedhæftede filer er fortrolige. Hvis du ikke er den tilsigtede

modtager, bedes du straks underrette afsenderen ved at besvare denne e-mail og derefter slette e-mailen. Hvis du har modtaget denne

e-mail ved en fejl, skal vi gøre klart, at enhver form for kopiering, offentliggørelse eller distribution af denne e-mail kan være ulovlig.

Bilag 1v

Fra:

Til:

Cc:

Emne:

Dato:

Vedhæftede filer:

GROW E2

Søren Boisen Westh (EM-DEP)

Susanne Aamann; Sigrid Dahlerup (EM-DEP); Cecilie Toft Nørgaard (EM-DEP)

[Re] Request: Danish opt-in scheme regarding unsolicited printed advertisements (EM Id nr.: 450570) -

Ares(2022)2137476

23. marts 2022 18:44:06

Reply to DK authorities on Danish Opt-in scheme[1].pdf

Bilag 1v

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR INTERNAL MARKET, INDUSTRY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP

AND SMES

Single Market Enforcement

E.2 – Enforcement II

Brussels, 23.03.2022

grow.e.2/

/az(2022)2119221

Søren Boisen Westh

Headof Section

Erhvervsministeriet

Slotsholmsgade 10-12

DK-1216 København K

e-mail:

[email protected]

Dear Sir,

We would like to thank you for your letters of 21 December 2021, 26 January 2022 and

22 February 2022, referring to the note of 02 July 2021 by the Danish Competition and

Consumer Authority concerning a Danish initiative for implementing an Opt-in scheme

regarding unsolicited printed advertisements.

In your letters, you inquire over the compatibility of such scheme, intended to replace the

non-statutory opt-out scheme currently in force, with EU primary and secondary law.

You also explain that ‘the intention of introducing an opt-in scheme is to lower the

amount of printed advertisements in order to limit the negative environmental impact of

these advertisements.’

The present reply is intended to provide some preliminary informal and general guidance

over the main elements of the scheme.

We note that the proposal envisaged in the note raises several questions with respect to

free movement of goods and services as well as environmental and consumer protection.

The Commission has already stated in its reply of 30 April 2020 to the parliamentary

question E-8/2020

that an ‘opt-in’ scheme for printed advertisement, which does not

pursue, directly or indirectly, the objective of the protection of consumers' economic

interests, but other goals such as environmental protection, would fall outside the scope

of the Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices

Furthermore, the Court of Justice has held that it is for the national authorities and courts

to decide whether a national provision is intended to directly or indirectly protect the

interests of consumers (C-13/15

Cdiscount).

This position was reiterated in the letter of

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2020-000008-ASW_EN.html

See the relevant case law of the Court of Justice (C-540/08

Mediaprint

and C-206/11

Köck)

Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel.

@ec.europa.eu

Bilag 1v

DG JUST of 2 February 2021 in reply to the letter of the Danish Competition and

Consumer Authority 11 December 2020

When it comes to the fundamental freedoms, it is true that national rules restricting the

free movement of goods or services need to be non-discriminatory, justified by an

overriding reason of public interest and proportionate. However, any assessment of (1)

the possible existence of a restriction of the free movement of goods or services and (2)

the compatibility of a national measure with EU law depends on the specific features of

each measure, including its concrete wording, the objectives pursued and justification,

along with evidence presented.

Moreover, we note that the proportionality test to be carried out on national measures

restricting fundamental freedoms is composed of three steps: the measure must be

suitable to attain the overriding reason in the public interest, must not go beyond what is

necessary to attain it and no less restrictive means should be available to achieve it. With

respect to the latter, the abovementioned Danish note itself outlines a potential alternative

scheme, which, in its own terms, would be less restrictive on fundamental freedoms. This

appears to suggest that the Danish authorities themselves acknowledge the existence of

less restrictive means.

At this stage however, as previously pointed out, the Commission services cannot

provide a complete assessment, only on the basis of the information supplied in the brief

explanatory note informally sent by the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority.

In order to receive a more detailed and comprehensive answer, we invite the Danish

authorities to notify a draft under the applicable notification rules

. The notification

procedure would allow all Commission services concerned as well as all other Member

States to carry out a transparent and accurate assessment based on the concrete phrasing

of the proposal and would also provide private stake-holders with the possibility to

submit their views.

Such an open and comprehensive process of information and consultation would enable a

complete assessment, on the basis of all the relevant aspects and comments.

We would like to thank the Danish authorities for their spirit of cooperation and remain

at their disposal to pursue a fruitful dialogue.

Yours faithfully,

[electronically signed]

Head of Unit

Contact:

Danish Competition and Consumer Authority letter with reference: FORCE-20/12511-2/11 December

2020; European Commission letter with reference: Ares(2021)901964/02 February 2021

Single Market Transparency Directive 2015/1535 (TRIS notification) or Directive 2006/123/EC on

services in the internal market.

Electronically signed on 23/03/2022 18:23 (UTC+01) in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Decision (EU) 2021/2121