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The Lisbon Treaty reaffirms consumer protection as a horizontal and key EU policy, stipulating that consumer protection requirements shall be taken into account in defining and implementing other Union policies and activities (Art.12 TFEU). The European Consumer Agenda, the political document which was adopted by the European Commission on 22 May 2012, promises to do exactly that: to set out a strategic framework for the Union's consumer policy for the years to come, integrating consumer interests in all Union policies.
IMCO has been always very active in promoting an effective consumer policy to ensure healthy markets in which consumers can operate safely and with confidence where cross-border trading and innovation are encouraged. An active consumer policy should enable citizens to reap the benefits of the internal market to its full potential, by offering them a wider choice of high quality products and services at competitive prices.
The EU Consumer Programme 2014-2020 and the New Agenda for European Consumer Policy have established the financial and policy framework for improving consumer protection and rights in the Single Market. Following the IMCO request, the Commission started to develop a Consumer Markets Scoreboard to help make the SM more responsive to the expectations and concerns of citizens. IMCO reports annually in its work on the findings of the scoreboard to identify gaps in consumer empowerment. A strategy for strengthening the rights of vulnerable consumers was the subject of an own initiative Report adopted in 2012.
A major achievement was the Consumer Rights Directive, adopted in October 2011, replacing the Doorstep Selling (1985) and Distance Sales (1997) Directives. IMCO was also involved in the work on the Common European Sales Law (CESL), and adopted two own-initiative reports including the implementation of Directive concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices (UCPD) and Directive concerning misleading and comparative advertising (especially in business-to-business relations.
The own initiative report on the Protection of Consumers in Utilities Services traces the common elements amongst utilities services while it puts particular emphasis on four utility sectors: energy, telecommunications, postal services and public transportation.
An important achievement in improving access to means of consumer redress was the adoption of two legislative acts including Directive on alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes (ADR) and Regulation on online dispute resolution for consumer disputes (ODR).
IMCO adopted a legislative Report on the Commission's proposal for a Directive on 'Package travel and assisted travel arrangements'. The development of online sales and the liberalisation in the airline sector have changed the way in which consumers organise their holidays.
As Union legislative framework on market surveillance and consumer product safety is fragmented and scattered over different legislative acts, IMCO drafted an own-initiative report on the revision of the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) and market surveillance, urging Commission to establish a single market surveillance system for all products, based on one legislative act covering both the GPSD and Regulation (EC) No 765/2008/EC.
Further to its work on the Consumer Credit Directive (CCD) and its implementation, IMCO was also involved in a new legislative act on credit agreements relating to residential property (the Mortgage Credit Directive).
As access to basic payment services is one of the preconditions for consumers to benefit from the internal market, IMCO Members strongly pushed for a legislative action and eventually adopted an opinion which was considered by ECON committee (competent for financial services) within its legislative-initiative report on Access to basic banking services, supported by a majority in the plenary in July 2012.
To overcome the fragmentation of the telecommunications market in Europe the Commission put forward a package of proposals to reform the European telecoms market, including a proposal for a regulation, European single market for electronic communications and to achieve a connected continent. The IMCO opinion on this regulation significantly diverts from the Commission's proposal and instead introduces valuable new provisions through amending the Universal Services and Users' Rights Directive.
