Presented by the Commission on Friday 13 November, the new ‘Consumer Agenda’, which will guide EU consumer policy for the next five years, has been very well received by the consumer associations federated by BEUC and by the retail and wholesale sectors in Europe, but EuroCommerce warns against the pitfalls of rigid legislation.
Everyone hailed this programme’s main priorities - the green and digital transition and the post-Covid-19 economic recovery - as very relevant (see EUROPE 12601/6, 12585/16).
“The EU has rightly set the bar high”, according to BEUC, which welcomed the announcement of legislation that will inform consumers about sustainable products, protect them from misleading green claims (greenwashing) and planned obsolescence, as well as rules on the use of artificial intelligence and a plan to revise EU product safety legislation to meet the challenges of new technologies and online sales.
“Consumers’ concerns and expectations need to be central to any policy plan, be it in health, energy, finance or the digital and green transition. We urge all European and national policy makers to work together to meet (the Agenda’s) objectives”, said BEUC’s Managing Director, Monique Goyens.
According to EuroCommerce Managing Director Christian Verschueren, “the green and digital transition is fully underway and is largely determined by consumers and what they buy. The Covid-19 pandemic has further accelerated the digital transition, which makes the new Commission programme very timely”.
He confirmed the sector’s determination to contribute to the achievement of these objectives, while stressing the need for retailers to be able to innovate and respond quickly to changes in consumer behaviour and expectations.
“To do so, they need a stable and predictable business and policy climate: harmonised rules - and no over-regulation by national governments, coherent national consumer policies, and effective and efficient enforcement across the EU are the best ways of ensuring this”, he says.
Legislators must be careful not to create rigid legal obligations that increase costs and administrative burdens, with only limited benefits, warns EuroCommerce.
Considering that a complete rewrite of the General Product Safety Directive is not necessary, the association welcomes the Commission’s intention to focus on dangerous products entering the EU market from non-Member States and stresses the importance of reducing the number of tests and analyses that a distributor or importer is required to carry out.
And rather than revising the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, he said that “better implementation and enforcement is essential to protect consumers and build confidence“. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)