The European Union takes great care to protect the health, safety and economic well-being of consumers. It promotes their rights to information and education, helps safeguard their interests and encourages them to set up self-help consumer associations.
An effective, integrated EU economy should stimulate consumer confidence in cross-border transactions. But before people make purchases abroad, they must be confident they have the right information and know they have clear legal rights in case transactions go wrong. EU-wide rules guarantee consumers the necessary protection.
The EU’s current consumer protection programme (2007-13) aims at:
Whether you shop at the market or online, the EU protects your rights.
Over the years, EU policy has given consumers a high level of safety in many areas:
The EU also safeguards consumers’ wider interests in areas such as:
With the growth of financial services and electronic commerce, the Commission has proposed guidelines for good on-line business practices and rules for all aspects of consumer credit and non-cash payments.
Consumers’ interests are already factored into laws liberalising key public services like transport, electricity and gas, telecommunications and post. These will ensure the public continues to enjoy universal access to high-quality services at affordable prices.
All toys have to meet EU safety standards.
Individuals must be able to obtain redress if EU rules are not implemented correctly. This requires better cooperation between EU countries. Court proceedings, especially in another jurisdiction, can be costly and time-consuming. To encourage out-of-court settlements, the Commission has developed no-cost or low-cost ways of settling disputes.
Unfair commercial practices such as misleading advertising and aggressive selling practices like harassment, coercion and using undue influence are now illegal throughout the EU.
Consumers are wary of cross-border shopping because they are uncertain of their rights and afraid of fraud. New EU rules give consumers the same protection from aggressive business practices and rogue traders whether buying from the shop around the corner or from a website in another EU country.
Another way in which consumers can seek redress is to contact the European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net). Find the centre nearest you.
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