The digital and green transition sits at the heart of the ‘New Consumer Agenda 2021-2025’, which guides EU consumer policy. As such, the Spanish Presidency of the Council wants to assess the implementation of this Agenda and make progress on the legislative dossiers still on the table in the Council and the European Parliament, in order to complete its implementation through future EU legislation on sustainable consumption.
Spain’s Secretary General for Consumer Affairs and Gambling, Rafael Escudero Alday, made this point when introducing the discussions at the informal ministerial meeting in Bilbao, which began on the afternoon of Monday 24 July with the 27 ministers from the Member States (see EUROPE 13227/19).
He reiterated that sustainability remained a priority for the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU, and said that he was awaiting indications from the Member States, not only on legislative proposals to promote “responsible consumers” playing an active part in the green transition thanks to new rights relating to product reparability and greater protection against corporate greenwashing and premature product obsolescence, but also in terms of laying the groundwork for the post-2025 period.
“After the experience we have gained over the years, we want to make a general assessment of the application of the new Consumer Agenda”, said Mr Escudero Alday. He asked the ministers, firstly, which aspects they considered to have worked well, and which should be improved, developed or even reworked in the next 2 years, and, secondly, for their contribution to “a longer-term evaluation and debate, reflecting on possible priority areas for action after 2025”.
In his view, “early identification of areas for coordinated action is extremely useful in meeting the challenges facing European consumers”.
Of the 22 actions in the Agenda adopted at the end of 2020, much has already been done to improve general product safety, to guarantee the same level of safety for consumers online and offline, and to prevent over-indebtedness among vulnerable consumers in the digital age.
Mr Escudero Alday also cited the measures taken “to protect consumers against the rise in the price of energy and basic groceries”.
Stressing the importance of the right to repair products and “the possibility of improving it for consumers” (see EUROPE 13225/12), the European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, said that it would be “very interesting to hear the best practices of the Member States”.
He also indicated that he would be informing ministers of the “dialogue that has begun with certain third countries, such as the United States” on consumer financial protection in the digital age. And he cited the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (US CFPB), with which he has just launched an informal transatlantic dialogue (see EUROPE 13227/12). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)