Brussels, 02/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - For their tenth anniversary this year, European Consumer Centres (ECC-NET) can be very pleased with how they are doing, according to the anniversary edition of the annual report on their activities published on Tuesday 2 June.
On the same day, an exhibition was held at the European Parliament honouring these help centres. The 3.5 million visits to their websites bear witness to their value.
“As more and more consumers are buying online, the role of the European Consumer Centres in the resolution of cross-border disputes will become more important than ever, advising consumers and ensuring that their rights are fully respected so that they can have full confidence in the digital economy” said Justice and Consumer Rights Commissioner Vera Jourova (our translation).
Over the course of their ten years, ECCs have received more than 650,000 requests from consumers wanting to know their rights, with the number of requests rising by 30% between 2012 and 2014. The Centres have helped 300,000 consumers, nearly one consumer in two, with disputes over cross-border purchases (up 16% between 2012 and 2014). Almost two thirds of complaints were resolved. The ECC network has 30 centres in the 28 EU member states, Norway and Iceland, and is co-financed by the EU consumers' programme. (Aminata Niang)
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