(Telecompaper) The European Commission has unveiled its promised 'New Deal for Consumers', proposing new measures to increase transparency in online sales, extend consumer protection to 'free' services, allow consumer groups to launch collective lawsuits, and set minimum standards for both individual compensation and trader penalties for violating consumer rights. The proposal follows a review of EU consumer rights regulation last year and was prompted by recent EU-wide breaches such as 'Dieselgate'. It builds on the EC's work to date on extending consumer protections online, under the Digital Single Market project.