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Spain bans concert ticket scalping and fuel advertising

The Spanish government unveiled on Tuesday a draft law aimed at encouraging sustainable consumption and reducing costs. It would prohibit practices like reselling concert ticket for profit, and advertising fossil fuels or cars powered by these.

Reporters were told that the government's goal is to encourage industries' transition to more sustainable and accessible models. This will lower prices for consumers, and make significant progress in protecting the environment.

The bill also prohibits "advertising that is based on fear of crime or natural catastrophes" and stops companies from making false claims or misleading statements about their environmental credentials. This practice, known as greenwashing, is illegal.

The government is encouraging travellers to use the electric-powered train instead of most domestic flights.

The bill must be approved by the parliament where the socialist government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who won a second term in an election in late 2023, is in a minority. The government has been unable to gain enough support from the lower house of parliament to pass several bills, and has yet to present a budget for both this year and next.

Bustinduy is a member of the junior coalition partner Sumar from the extreme left. He has conducted campaigns against budget airlines, summer tourism rentals and other businesses, but with mixed results. Last week, a court suspended fines of over 179 million Euros ($211.13 Million) that his ministry had imposed on low-cost airlines for charging for cabin luggage. Some rental listings that his ministry ordered to be removed from platforms like Airbnb in May still appear on the internet.

(source: Reuters)