Brussels, 04/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - ECC-Net, the network of European Consumer Centres (ECCs), supported by the European Commission, is acting to help passengers who have cross-border claims to be settled with an airline or a travel agency after falling victim to the disruption or air traffic resulting from the cloud of volcanic ash. A package of documents, available in all EU languages, was put online on Monday 4 May to encourage consumers to exercise their rights under European law.
The package includes a standard complaint letter, a list of addresses where complaint letters can be sent, advice on the use of out-of-court dispute resolution with the company, and the use of the EU small claims procedure and answers to frequently asked questions.
In a press release, European Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner John Dalli said: “EU consumer rights apply even in extraordinary circumstances. In fact, talks on aiding the companies which suffered as a result of the ash crisis must be linked to their respect for passenger rights. Today thousands of consumers affected by flight disruptions are still rightly clamouring for their rights to be respected in practice. My message to them is: do not hesitate to claim what is yours. If an airline or a tour operator continues to ignore your rights, a European Consumer Centre near you can be your next port of call”.
The ECC network, which was set up in 2005, operates in all 27 EU member states and in Iceland and Norway. It deals annually with some 60,000 requests for assistance or advice from consumers to help reach a solution to a problem encountered when purchasing goods or travelling abroad within the EU. In 2009, one third of all complaints related to the transport sector.
In the first week of the crisis, the network handled seven times more calls than in the previous week. The ECC-Net central site contains the documents which have just been made available and provides links to national ECC sites. The address is http: //ec.europa.eu/consumers/ecc/index_en.htm (A.N./transl.rt)