Busuttil calls for action on misleading business directories

He was participating in a plenary debate in the European Parliament that was discussing the annual report of the Petitions Committee.

Busuttil said that in December 2008 the European Parliament had widely adopted a report drawn up by him on the problems caused by misleading business directories that lured small businesses and even non-profit-making entities into signing up to an advert that they thought was free. This, he said, affected several thousand persons who fell victim of these scams.

Busuttil said this report had called on the European Commission to bring forward a legislative proposal to fill the legal loophole that was exploited by these directories. He regretted that this had not yet been done and asked European Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, present for the debate, to take note of the continued absence of a remedy and to urge the Commission to address the matter.

Busuttil said that the European Parliament will continue to follow this issue until it is settled.