On Monday the 18th of November 2024, five IMCO MEPs questioned the Commission on its Digital Fairness Fitness Check which lays the groundwork for the upcoming Digital Fairness Act. Isabelle Pérignon, Director for Consumers at DGJust, answered MEPs' questions without providing significant new insights. More revealing were the questions of the MEPs present which showed no strong desire for new ambitious regulations like the expected Digital Fairness Act. One should note that among the five MEPs present was Dóra Dávid who had previously asked Commissioner McGrath a question pertaining to the DFA. Safe to assume that she may become one the most active MEPs on the DFA file.

Laura Ballarín Cereza highlighted the risks young people face from dark patterns, price manipulation, and addictive designs like infinite scrolling and loot boxes.
- What proposals does the Commission have for stricter regulations and controls to protect young people from harmful content?
- Will upcoming regulations on addictive design patterns apply solely to video games or extend to social media platforms?
- How does the Commission plan to regulate influencer marketing, given its 700% growth since 2016, and ensure potential sanctions to protect consumers?

Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz emphasised that while the EU has advanced consumer protection laws, enforcement is lacking, leading to significant economic and mental health costs.
- What are the main challenges in implementing existing regulations?
- Would updating the blacklist in the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive suffice to combat dark patterns?
- How can the Commission reduce fragmentation in implementation and enforcement across Member States?

Dóra Dávid stressed the need for consistent application of current rules and enhanced cooperation between various authorities before introducing new legislation.
- How will effective enforcement of existing rules be ensured?
- What are the concrete next steps and timelines following the fitness check?

Sandro Gozi pointed out unacceptable manipulations in targeting and influencer practices, and the difficulty consumers face in exiting digital contracts.
- Is the Commission evaluating actions to address these issues and reduce legal fragmentation?
- How does the Commission plan to balance the simplification process with the need for new legislative proposals?
- What level of cooperation exists with national authorities regarding implementation and enforcement?
- How can coordinator networks be reinforced to improve enforcement of EU legislation?

Zala Tomašič raised concerns about the dominance of platforms like Apple and Google, which can disadvantage startups and small businesses in their app stores.
- Are measures being taken to ensure a level playing field for all businesses on platform-owned app stores to prevent unfair pricing and access barriers?