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La inteligencia artificial (IA) puede ayudar a encontrar soluciones a muchos de los problemas de nuestra sociedad. Esto solo puede lograrse si la tecnología es de gran calidad y se desarrolla y se utiliza de tal manera que merezca la confianza de los ciudadanos. Por lo tanto, un marco estratégico de la UE basado en los valores de la Unión ofrecerá a los ciudadanos la confianza necesaria para que acepten las soluciones basadas en la IA, animando al mismo tiempo a las empresas a desarrollarlas y utilizarlas. Un Reglamento sobre un enfoque europeo respecto a la inteligencia artificial y la actualización del plan coordinado sobre la IA garantizarán la seguridad y los derechos fundamentales de las personas y las empresas, reforzando al mismo tiempo la inversión y la innovación en todos los países de la UE. En este artículo se analiza si su adopción será beneficiosa para los consumidores. ; Artificial intelligence (AI) can help find solutions to many of society's problems. This can only be achieved if the technology is of high quality, and developed and used in ways that earns peoples' trust. Therefore, an EU strategic framework based on EU values will give citizens the confidence to accept AI-based solutions, while encouraging businesses to develop and deploy them. A new Regulation on a European Approach for Artificial Intelligence and the update of the Coordinated Plan on AI will guarantee the safety and fundamental rights of people and businesses, while strengthening investment and innovation across EU countries. This article looks at whether its adoption will be beneficial to consumers.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can help find solutions to many of society's problems. This can only be achieved if the technology is of high quality, and developed and used in ways that earns peoples' trust. Therefore, an EU strategic framework based on EU values will give citizens the confidence to accept AI-based solutions, while encouraging businesses to develop and deploy them. A new Regulation on a European Approach for Artificial Intelligence and the update of the Coordinated Plan on AI will guarantee the safety and fundamental rights of people and businesses, while strengthening investment and innovation across EU countries. This article looks at whether its adoption will be beneficial to consumers. ; La inteligencia artificial (IA) puede ayudar a encontrar soluciones a muchos de los problemas de nuestra sociedad. Esto solo puede lograrse si la tecnología es de gran calidad y se desarrolla y se utiliza de tal manera que merezca la confianza de los ciudadanos. Por lo tanto, un marco estratégico de la UE basado en los valores de la Unión ofrecerá a los ciudadanos la confianza necesaria para que acepten las soluciones basadas en la IA, animando al mismo tiempo a las empresas a desarrollarlas y utilizarlas. Un Reglamento sobre un enfoque europeo respecto a la inteligencia artificial y la actualización del plan coordinado sobre la IA garantizarán la seguridad y los derechos fundamentales de las personas y las empresas, reforzando al mismo tiempo la inversión y la innovación en todos los países de la UE. En este artículo se analiza si su adopción será beneficiosa para los consumidores.

El despilfarro de alimentos es un problema universal que en los últimos años ha adquirido mayor prioridad tanto en la agenda pública como en la agenda política. Los alimentos constituyen un bien preciado y su producción puede requerir el empleo de gran volumen de recursos. Las estimaciones indican que se despilfarra o se pierde aproximadamente un tercio de los alimentos, con el enorme coste económico y medioambiental consiguiente. El Tribunal de Cuentas de la UE ha examinado la función que desempeña la Unió en la lucha contra el despilfarro de alimentos, las medidas adoptadas hasta la fecha y de qué forma los distintos instrumentos políticos de la UE actúan para reducir este despilfarro. Su punto de mira han sido las medidas de prevención y de donación, que son las modalidades preferibles en la lucha contra el despilfarro de alimentos. En el informe se llega a la conclusión de que las medidas adoptadas hasta la fecha no han sido suficientes y que la estrategia de la UE contra el despilfarro de alimentos habría de reforzarse y estar mejor coordinada. La Comisión debería plantearse de qué forma aprovechar las políticas existentes para mejorar la lucha contra el despilfarro y la pérdida de alimentos. ; Food waste is a global problem that has moved up the public and political agenda in recent years. Food is a precious commodity and its production can be very resource intensive. Estimates show that up to one third of food is wasted or lost and therefore huge environmental and economic costs are at stake. The report of the European Court of Auditors examines the role the EU plays in combating food waste, the actions taken thus far and the way in which the various EU policy instruments work to reduce food waste. It focused on the actions of prevention and donation which are those most preferred in the fight against food waste. This report concludes that the action to date has not been sufficient and that the EU strategy on food waste has to be strengthened and better coordinated. The Commission should explore ways of using existing policies to better fight food waste and loss.

Alrededor de 100 millones de toneladas de alimentos se desperdician anualmente en la UE. Si no se hace nada para atajar este despilfarro, los residuos de alimentos podrían aumentar a más de 120 millones de toneladas en 2020. El desperdicio de alimentos no es sólo un problema ético y económico, sino que también afecta al medio ambiente y pone en peligro los limitados recursos naturales de los que disponemos. Todos los eslabones de la cadena alimentaria tienen un papel que desempeñar en la prevención y la reducción de los residuos de alimentos: incluyendo los que producen y procesan alimentos (agricultores, fabricantes de alimentos y procesadores), los que distribuyen los citados productos para su consumo (sector de la hostelería, los minoristas) y, en última instancia, los consumidores. El objetivo fundamental de la política de seguridad e inocuidad alimentaria de la UE es proteger la salud humana y animal. En este contexto, las instituciones comunitarias, en cooperación con los Estados miembros y las partes interesadas, tratan de explorar todas las oportunidades para evitar el desperdicio de alimentos y reforzar la sostenibilidad del sistema alimentario. ; Around 100 million tonnes of food are wasted annually in the EU. If nothing is done, food waste could rise to over 120 million tonnes by 2020. Wasting food is not only an ethical and economic issue but it also depletes the environment of limited natural resources. All actors in the food chain have a role to play in preventing and reducing food waste, from those who produce and process foods (farmers, food manufacturers and processors) to those who make foods available for consumption (hospitality sector, retailers) and ultimately consumers themselves. The central goal of EU food safety policy is to protect both human and animal health. We cannot compromise on these standards but, in co-operation with Member States and stakeholders, are looking for every opportunity to prevent food waste and strengthen sustainability of the food system.

Las cifras de sobrepeso, obesidad y otras enfermedades no transmisibles relacionadas con la dieta de la población europea son demasiado elevadas y siguen aumentando. Esto tiene una incidencia negativa sobre la esperanza de vida, reduce la calidad de vida de los ciudadanos de la Unión Europea y afecta a la sociedad, por ejemplo, induciendo a unos elevados gastos sanitarios que pueden afectar a la sostenibilidad de los sistemas de salud. ; The prevalence of overweight, obesity and other diet-related noncommunicable diseases in the European population is too high and is still rising. This has a negative impact on life expectancy, reducing European Union citizens' quality of life and affecting society, for example by high healthcare costs which may affect the sustainability of the healthcare systems.

A todos los niveles y en cada uno de los eslabones de la cadena alimentaria humana (Administración, agricultores, pescadores, procesadores, comerciantes detallistas o mayoristas y en especial en relación con los consumidores) es preciso hacer cambios en nuestro modus operandi para evitar el desperdicio de alimentos y permitir la reutilización o reciclado de lo que se desecha en la medida de lo posible. Efectivamente, no podemos permitir que un tercio de todos los alimentos que producimos se pierda a causa de prácticas inadecuadas, cuando 870 millones de personas pasan hambre en el mundo. Por lo que se refiere a los consumidores, la concienciación sobre el alcance del problema (y aprender a prevenirlo) es muy importante. También será decisiva una mejor comunicación entre todos los participantes en la cadena de suministro de alimentos. ; All of us - farmers and fishers; food processors and supermarkets; local and national governments; individual consumers - must make changes at every link of the human food chain to prevent food wastage from happening in the first place, and re-use or recycle it when we can't. We simply cannot allow one-third of all the food we produce to go to waste or be lost because of inappropriate practices, when 870 million people go hungry every day. On consumer side, raising awareness of the problem - and how to prevent it - is very important. Better communication among all participants in food supply chains will also be crucial.

En este artículo se describe y explica sucintamente la transposición al Derecho del Reino Unido de la Directiva 2011/83/UE, de 25 de octubre de 2011, sobre los derechos de los consumidores, por la que se modifican la Directiva 93/13/CEE y la Directiva 1999/44/CE y se derogan las Directivas 85/577/CEE y 97/7/CE, teniendo en cuenta las tres principales áreas cubiertas por la citada Directiva 2011/83/UE: la información que los comerciantes deben facilitar al consumidor, el derecho de desistimiento en los contratos a distancia y los contratos celebrados fuera de un establecimiento y las medidas para impedir los costes encubiertos ; This paper describes the implementation in the United Kingdom of Directive 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on consumer rights, amending Council Directive 93/13/EEC and Directive 1999/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directive 85/577/EEC and Directive 97/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. The Directive 2011/83/EU covers three main areas: information which traders should provide to consumers, cancellation rights and responsibilities for distance and off-premises sales and measures to prevent hidden costs

En este artículo se analizará de qué modo el legislador comunitario ha regulado determinados aspectos de la venta y las garantías de los bienes de consumo y se propondrá cómo podría modificarse dicha regulación para proteger más eficazmente al consumidor. In this paper, we analyse how the Community legislator has regulated certain aspects of the sale and guarantees of consumer goods and we propose by what means such law could be modified to achieve a better protection of consumers.

The current challenge of agriculture is to ensure sustainability, noting that in the next half century we must produce as much food as in the previous ten thousand years combined. At the same time, we should improve crop resilience, in an unquestionable scenario of climate change. The World Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) urges us to achieve food security, which is the situation in which everybody has physical and economic access to sufficient, safe nutritious food at all times, to satisfy their nutritional needs and preferences, in order to lead an active and healthy life. In recent years we have seen an exponential increase in the knowledge of the molecular basis of genetic traits that are important for food production. Some of these technologies have been developed in Europe, and benefit producers from other parts of the world, from whom our countries then import their products for our consumption. It has been possible to increase the micronutrient content of fruit, delay their ripening or incorporate resistance to viruses, fungi and bacteria. Thus, using tools borrowed from bacterial defence mechanisms (CRISPR-Cas9 and derivatives), it is possible to act in a controlled and timely manner on the desired areas of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid), as could be the case in the fight against TR4 fungus in the banana. This crop occupies about ten million hectares with an annual production of one-hundred million tons. It is part of the basic diet of four-hundred million people and is cultivated in all tropical and subtropical regions constituting the fourth food crop only behind rice, wheat and corn. No fungicide has been found that allows chemical control of the fungus that remains in infected soils for periods exceeding thirty years, so it is urgent to obtain new resistant varieties. This document aims to sensitize society and legislators about the importance of science and technology, with a sustainable global food system approach (availability, policies, economy and culture) to meet the food challenges of the 21st century. ; Peer reviewed

Technical report ; The current challenge of agriculture is to ensure sustainability, being aware that in the next half century we must produce as much as in the previous ten thousand years. At the same time, we should improve crop resilience, in an unquestionable scenario of climate change. The World Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) urges us to achieve Food Security, which is the situation in which everybody, has physical and economic access to sufficient, safe nutritious food at all times, to satisfy their nutritional needs and preferences, in order to lead an active and healthy life. In recent years we have seen an exponential increase in the knowledge of the molecular basis of genetic traits that are important for food production. Some of these technologies have been developed in Europe, and benefit producers from other parts of the world, from whom our countries then import its products for our consumption. It has been possible to increase the micronutrient content of fruit, delay their ripening or incorporate resistance to viruses, fungi and bacteria. Thus, using tools borrowed from bacterial defence mechanisms (CRISPR-Cas9 and derivatives), it is possible to act in a controlled and timely manner on the desired areas of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid), as could be the case in the fight against TR4 fungus in the banana. This crop occupies about ten million hectares with an annual production of one hundred million tons. It is part of the basic diet of four hundred million people and is cultivated in all tropical and subtropical regions constituting the fourth food crop only behind the rice, wheat and corn. No fungicide has been found that allows chemical control of the fungus that remains in infected soils for periods exceeding thirty years, so it is urgent to obtain new resistant varieties. The document aims to sensitize society and legislators about the importance of science and technology, with a sustainable global food system approach (availability, policies, economy and culture) to meet the food challenges of the 21st century. ; Preprint