Ministers are backing legislation to stop the automatic extension of magazine, newspaper, telephone and gym memberships, the Volkskrant reports on Friday, citing cabinet sources.

At the moment, companies can automatically renew subscriptions and memberships for a full year unless the consumer specifically tells them otherwise. If the new rules get through parliament, that will be reduced to three months.
Requiring companies to warn consumers that their subscription is about to expire would be too expensive, the paper quotes Labour MP Martijn van Dam as saying. Van Dam drew up the bill.