Position paper - New Deal for Consumers: Better enforcement and modernisation of consumer protection rules

The American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU) welcomes the European Commission’s efforts to modernise EU consumer law through the proposal for a Directive on better enforcement and modernisation of EU consumer protection rules.

We appreciate the Commission’s proposal to allow traders to reimburse consumers after receiving a returned product or to use the most appropriate means of communication with consumers, which we believe constitutes a more ‘common sense’ approach than that which currently exists. However, we are concerned that the proposed harmonisation of maximum penalties is unlikely to remedy the insufficient and uneven enforcement of consumer protection rules in the EU.

As the European Commission recognised in its Fitness Check exercise, the main body of consumer and marketing law is largely fit for purpose but awareness of rights and obligations is low amongst consumers and traders. The European Institutions must devote attention to address this deficiency and avoid introducing measures that address outcomes rather than the real issues at stake.

For more information, please see our full position paper below and/or contact Jarrod Birch (jbi@amchameu.eu).