Consumers

The European Union of 28 countries has just over half a billion potential consumers. The Member States have progressively developed measures aimed at safeguarding the specific interests of these consumers who play a vital economic and political role in society. Starting in the mid-1970s, the EU has endeavoured to harmonise these national measures in order to guarantee European citizens the same high level of protection throughout the single market.

The European policy in favour of consumers aims to safeguard the health, safety and interests of consumers, as set out in Article 169 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. This policy promotes consumers’ rights to information and education, and their right to organise in order to defend their interests.

• Consumers — general rules
  • Ensuring the single market works for EU consumers
  • Single Market Programme
  • New Deal for Consumers
    • Consumer protection – Representative actions
    • Injunctions protecting the collective interests of consumers (until 2023)
    • Consumer information, right of withdrawal and other consumer rights
• Protecting consumers' interests
  • Preventing unfair commercial practices & unfair pricing
    • E-commerce - standard EU rules
    • Unfair commercial practices
    • Price indications on consumer products
    • Online intermediation services — fairness and transparency for business users
    • Misleading and comparative advertising
    • Geo-blocking: addressing discriminatory treatment of customers
    • EU cross-border parcel delivery services
    • Distance marketing of financial services: consumer protection
  • Preventing unfair contract terms
    • Contracts for the supply of digital content and digital services
    • Rules on contracts for the sale of goods between sellers and consumers
    • Protecting consumers in respect of timeshare and long-term holiday contracts
    • Protecting consumers from unfair terms in contracts
    • Consumer credit agreements
  • Legal redress & dispute settlement
    • A framework for collective redress (class actions)
    • Solving consumer–trader disputes arising from online shopping
    • Single Market Programme
    • European small claims procedure — rules governing cross-border legal disputes
    • European Judicial Network — civil and commercial matters
    • Cooperation between national authorities on consumer protection laws
    • Consumer protection – Representative actions
    • Classifying and reporting consumer complaints
    • Alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes
  • Travel rights
    • Bus and coach passengers’ rights
    • Rights of passengers travelling by sea and inland waterways
    • Package travel – consumer rights (from 2018)
    • Open internet access and roam-like-at-home
    • Rail passenger rights
    • Air transport rules & rights
      • Air carrier passenger and baggage liability
      • Rights of people with reduced mobility — air travel
      • Information for passengers: air carriers’ identity
      • EU air passenger rights in case of denied boarding, a delayed flight or a cancelled flight
      • Computerised air ticket reservation systems
  • Financial services
    • Buying residential immovable property – rules on loans
    • Sustainability-related disclosures in the financial services sector
    • Settlement finality in payment and securities settlement systems
    • Revised rules for payment services in the EU
    • Opening/switching bank accounts and information on fees
    • Cross-border payments in the EU
    • Consumer financial services — green paper
  • Product labelling
    • Ecodesign and energy labelling — electronic displays
    • Textile products: textile fibre names and labelling
    • Information on tyre fuel efficiency, braking capacity and noise levels
    • Information on the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of new cars
    • Footwear labelling
    • Ecodesign and energy labelling requirements — household refrigerators
    • Ecodesign and energy labelling — refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function
    • Ecolabel
    • Ecodesign and energy labelling requirements — washing machines and household washer-dryers
    • Eco-design for energy-using appliances
    • Ecodesign and energy labelling — light sources and separate control gear
    • Ecodesign and energy labelling — household dishwashers
  • Consumer representation
    • Consultative Group for EU consumers
    • Consumer protection – Representative actions
• Consumer safety
  • Information on tyre fuel efficiency, braking capacity and noise levels
  • Systems for tobacco traceability and security features
  • Health
    • Bathing water quality
    • The precautionary principle
    • In vitro diagnostic medical devices
    • EU system to identify medical devices for greater patient safety
    • EU scientific committees on consumer safety (SCCS) & on health, environmental and emerging risks (SCHEER)
    • EU registry of emissions trading system allowances (2013–2020)
    • Ensuring the safety and performance of medical devices
    • Ensuring the safety and performance of in vitro diagnostic medical devices
  • Product safety rules
    • Accreditation and market surveillance
    • Uniform conditions for the marketing of safe products in the EU (conformity marking)
    • Safer detergents for European consumers
    • Safety of simple pressure vessels in the EU
    • Safer cosmetics for EU citizens
    • Product safety: general rules
    • Product Safety — EU Rapid Information System (RAPEX) Guidelines
    • Noise emission by equipment used outdoors
    • Market surveillance and compliance of products
    • Machinery safety
    • Ensuring safe explosives for non-military use
    • Ensuring the safety of toys in the European Union
    • Efficient and safe hot-water boilers
    • Dangerous products resembling foodstuffs — ensuring consumers’ safety
    • Defective products: liability
    • Classification, packaging and labelling of chemical substances and mixtures
  • Safety of services
    • Harmonisation of civil aviation requirements and procedures
    • Safety rules and standards for passenger ships
    • Fire safety in existing hotels
• Consumers — Food
  • Food safety rules
    • Authorisation procedure for additives, enzymes and flavourings
    • Use of enzymes in foods (excluding those in additives)
    • Traceability of pre-packaged foods
    • Safe food processing: common standards for extraction solvents
    • Safe food additives
    • Safe milk proteins for human consumption
    • Labelling of prepacked products
    • Nutrition and health claims made on foods
    • ‘Farm to fork’ strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system
    • Food safety – safe food contact materials
    • Ensuring safe food supplements in the EU
    • Enhancing quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs
    • Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) – rules & consumers protection
      • Authorisation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the EU
      • Unauthorised genetically modified rice in rice products from China — emergency measures
      • Regulating GM crops: EU countries’ rights
      • Genetically modified organisms — unique identifiers
      • Genetically modified organisms — traceability and labelling
      • Genetically modified food & feed
      • Exports of genetically modified organisms to non-EU countries
      • EU country flexibility in genetically modified organism cultivation
      • Contained use of genetically modified microorganisms
  • Food categories — specific rules
    • Aromatised wine products
    • Sugars
    • Wines and wine sector products — protected designations of origin, protected geographical indications, traditional terms, labelling and presentation
    • Rules on marketing standards for eggs
    • Processed cereal-based foods and baby foods for infants and young children
    • Preserved milk
    • Quick-frozen food
    • New (novel) foods — rules from 2018
    • Fruit juices and similar products
    • Fruit jams and sweetened chestnut purée
    • Foodstuffs treated with ionising radiation
    • Foods for specific groups
    • Food flavourings
    • Foods for special medical purposes
    • EU standards for natural mineral waters
    • EU labelling rules for honey
    • Coffee and chicory extracts
    • Cocoa and chocolate
  • Food labelling & organic products
    • Dual quality of products — the specific case of food
    • Specific rules on organic production, labelling and control
    • Production and labelling of organic products (until 2021)
    • Labelling of foodstuffs
    • Infant and follow-on formula — composition and information
    • Identification and labelling of beef and veal
    • Geographical origin of spirit drinks
    • EU rules on producing and labelling organic products (from 2022)
  • Food packaging & containers
    • Active and intelligent materials and articles that come into contact with food
    • Regenerated cellulose film wrappers in contact with food
    • Recycled plastic packaging in contact with food
    • Olive oil analysis
    • Restriction of epoxy derivatives in food contact materials
    • Plastic materials and articles in contact with food
    • Materials and articles in contact with food — good manufacturing practice
    • Import of plastic kitchenware from China
    • Food safety – safe food contact materials
    • Deregulation of pack sizes
    • Ceramic objects in contact with foodstuffs
• Archived summaries
  • Actions for injunctions
  • Alcoholic strength by volume '% vol' (until 2014)
  • Approval of explosives intended for civilian use
  • Aromatized drinks
  • Appliances burning gaseous fuels (until 2018)
  • Bathing water quality (until 2014)
  • Caffeine and quinine (until 2014)
  • Cableways for the carriage of passengers
  • Classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous substances (phase-in period until 1 June 2015)
  • Classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous preparations
  • Code of conduct for use of computerized reservation systems
  • Contracts negotiated away from business premises
  • Consumer Policy Strategy 2002-2006
  • Consumer rights
  • Consumer access to basic payment accounts
  • Cooperation between EU countries for consumer protection
  • Cosmetic products (until 2013)
  • Cross-border legal disputes — new rules from 2017 under European small claims procedure
  • Cross-border payments in euros
  • Dietary foods for special medical purposes
  • Distance contracts
  • Edible caseins and caseinates
  • Edible oils and fats: level of erucic acid
  • Electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits
  • Electronic commerce
  • Empowering European consumers and boosting their trust
  • Energy efficiency of office equipment: The Energy Star Programme (EU - US)
  • Ensuring medical devices are safe and efficient for patients
  • EU consumer policy strategy 2007-2013
  • EU multiannual consumer programme (2014-20)
  • European Consumer Consultative Group
  • European contract law
  • European Consumer Centres Network - helping consumers exercise their rights when making purchases abroad
  • European Consumer Centres Network
  • Geographical Indications and Designations of Origin
  • Geographical origin of spirit drinks
  • Gluten-free foodstuffs
  • Integrated product policy
  • Green Paper: European Contract Law for consumers and businesses
  • Executive Agency for Health and Consumers
  • Food used for weight reduction
  • Foodstuffs for particular nutritional uses
  • Green Paper on Services of General Interest
  • Infant formulae
  • Financial education
  • General financial framework 2004-2007 for Community consumer policy activities
  • Nutrition labelling (until 2014)
  • Integration of European Mortgage Credit Markets (White Paper)
  • Mortgage Credit in the EU (Green Paper)
  • Multi-annual programme of action for health (2014-2020) (Proposal)
  • Labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs
  • Language use in consumer information
  • Maritime safety: marine equipment
  • Internal Market Problem Solving System (SOLVIT network)
  • Materials and articles containing vinyl chloride monomer
  • New European commitment for services of general interest
  • Lifts
  • New (novel) foods and food ingredients
  • Radio and telecommunications terminal equipment
  • Railway safety
  • Online gambling (Green Paper)
  • Recreational craft
  • Out-of-court settlement of consumer disputes
  • Package travel (until 2018)
  • Reform of the EU State aid rules on Services of General Economic Interest
  • Protection of air passengers
  • Pressure equipment
  • Protection of video game users
  • Release of N-nitrosamines from rubber teats
  • Product energy consumption: Information and labelling (from July 2011)
  • Product guarantees for consumers
  • Payment services in the EU
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Programme of Community action in the field of consumer policy (2007-2013)
  • Purchase of the right to use immovable property on a timeshare basis
  • Placing of pyrotechnic articles on the market
  • Programme of Community action in the field of public health (2003-2008)
  • Safe active implantable medical devices
  • Testing migration of plastic materials in contact with foodstuffs
  • White Paper on services of general interest
  • Wines and wine sector products
  • Scientific Committees for consumer safety, public health and the environment
  • Second programme of Community action in the field of health (2008-2013)
  • Toy safety
  • Traditional specialities guaranteed
  • Simple pressure vessels
  • Strengthening passenger rights within the European Union
  • Spreadable fats (dairy and non-dairy): Definition, labelling and sale
  • VAT: special arrangements applicable to services supplied electronically