Judgment of the Court (Sixth Chamber) of 23 January 2025 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Bundesgerichtshof – Germany) – Bundesverband der Verbraucherzentralen und Verbraucherverbände – Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e.V. v NEW Niederrhein Energie und Wasser GmbH

(Case C-518/23,  (1) NEW Niederrhein Energie und Wasser)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Consumer protection - Unfair commercial practices - Directive 2005/29/EC - Article 7 - Misleading omissions - Invitation to purchase - Material information - Information to be provided to the consumer on the manner in which the price is calculated - Online electricity supply offer - Tariff calculator - Indication of a percentage increase in the price applicable to the consumer)

(C/2025/1516)

Language of the case: German

Referring court

Bundesgerichtshof

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicant: Bundesverband der Verbraucherzentralen und Verbraucherverbände – Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e.V.

Defendant: NEW Niederrhein Energie und Wasser GmbH

Operative part of the judgment

Article 7(1) and (4)(c) of Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market and amending Council Directive 84/450/EEC, Directives 97/7/EC, 98/27/EC and 2002/65/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (‘Unfair Commercial Practices Directive’)

must be interpreted as meaning that, in the case of an invitation to purchase made by means of an online commercial communication, the information relating to the manner in which the price is calculated must not necessarily contain the specific percentage of a component which may vary, such as the compensatory amount applied by the electricity supplier to the consumer concerned, with the result that the latter, once he or she knows his or her electricity consumption, can calculate that price independently, provided that that communication indicates the applicability in principle of such a percentage, together with a possible scale and the components having an impact on that percentage, thus enabling the average consumer to make an informed transactional decision.

(1)  OJ C C/2023/641.