Consumer protection in the European Union

What is the EU doing to protect its consumers? What challenges is the EU facing? The answers to these and other questions can be found in the series “Looking back, looking ahead” on the occasion of the informal videoconference of EU ministers for consumer protection on 7 December 2020.

Whether a chain of lights or a washing machine, whenever European citizens buy a product in another EU country, they can be sure that this product meets a number of safety requirements laid down in an EU directive, and they can receive compensation in the event that it has technical defects. Today, consumers in the EU have a wide range of rights under the European Union’s consumer protection policy.

This policy is closely bound up with the European single market and is based on a simple idea. Just like products that are transported from one country to another thanks to the single market, consumer rights must also be cross-border in scope. Consumers who buy a product or obtain digital content or services from another European country must be protected and enjoy the same rights vis-à-vis traders.