Highlights - Exchange of views with Didier Reynders on a New Consumer Agenda - Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

Commissioner Reynders presented the New Consumer Agenda Communication, scheduled for November 2020, in which the priorities defined pre-COVID remain central. Focusing on the green and digital transitions, consumer vulnerabilities, enforcement and international cooperation, the Consumer Agenda will announce 3 legislative proposals on empowering consumers in the green transition, the revision of the product safety directive and the consumer credit directive. Mr Reynders explained that although a

postponement to the 2nd quarter of 2021 had been inevitable given the current crisis, the Commission remain committed to propose strong measures in the 3 areas. He explained that a public consultation on the Consumer Agenda would be launched soon. Exchanges with the incoming German Presidency and the CPC Network authorities had already shown Member States' support for the Commission's plans.
Concerning the management of the COVID crisis, Commissioner stressed that the cooperation with online platforms continued to be fruitful and that many unfair practices and scams had been notified/ended. More than 7 million unsafe masks have been withdrawn from the single market thanks to the Safety Gate/Rapex system, which Commissioner committed to reinforcing and making more effective in the future.
The Commission is also currently preparing an EU wide coordinated market surveillance activity on the safety of COVID-related products and working closely with the Chinese authorities in this regard.