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Consumers/marketing

Consumers and businesses are natural actors of the internal market . Consumer policy and business environment are therefore two key pillars in a growth and jobs agenda.  
 
BusinessEurope promotes a sound and balanced consumer policy that ensures an adequate high level of consumer protection, promotes competitiveness of companies and helps embrace the new opportunities of the digital economy.

BusinessEurope vision for consumer policy in Europe includes:

  • focus on better implementation and enforcement of existing rules by public authorities and deeper international cooperation and coordination;
  • promotion of out-of-court means of redress (alternative dispute resolution and online dispute resolution) which are faster and more cost effective when compared to judicial means;
  • new rules only when absolutely necessary, provided they are evidence-based, future-proof and they follow a targeted/ full harmonisation approach;
  • improving awareness of the European consumer acquis among consumers but also among smaller companies with lower legal resources;
  • promotion of informal dialogue between business and consumers.

Publications

Public letters Date
Joint industry statement: Businesses reject the rash extension of the withdrawal button to all distance contracts through rushed negotiations 21/02/2023
Upcoming EU collective redress measure - Letter from Emma Marcegaglia to Jean-Claude Juncker 30/03/2018
Businesses call for more legal clarity in the draft geo-blocking regulation - Joint letter from BusinessEurope, EuroCommerce, DIGITALEUROPE, and EMOTA 14/11/2016
Upcoming EP plenary vote on the common European sales law proposal (CESL) - Joint business views from BusinessEurope, DIGITALEUROPE, EMOTA, EUROCHAMBRES, EuroCommerce and UEAPME 20/02/2014
BusinessEurope views on the consumer protection cooperation regulation consultation - Letter from Markus J. Beyrer to Commissioner Neven Mimica 07/02/2014
Position papers Date
Sustainable consumption - a BusinessEurope position paper 19/09/2022
Responsible private funding of litigation - Joint business statement 22/06/2022
The new consumer agenda - BusinessEurope reply to the open public consultation 06/10/2020
Proposal on representative actions (collective redress) - Business community statement 02/06/2020
Joint business statement on the proposal on representative actions 13/11/2019
Legal affairs strategy for the next political cycle 01/10/2019
Joint business statement in view of the IMCO vote on the proposal on modernisation of EU consumer law 17/01/2019
Joint business statement on the proposal on representative actions (collective redress) 30/11/2018
New deal for consumers - a BusinessEurope comment paper 29/08/2018
Representative actions for the protection of the collective interest of consumers (collective redress) - a BusinessEurope position paper 05/07/2018
Injunctions directive - Inception impact assessment - BusinessEurope's comments 23/11/2017
Joint statement on businesses’ priorities for the digital content directive proposal 21/11/2017
Consumer and Marketing Law REFIT follow-up consultation 06/10/2017
Collective redress - public consultation 2017 17/08/2017
Joint statement on businesses’ priorities for the digital content directive proposal 19/05/2017
Liability for defective products - BusinessEurope's reply to the public consultation 26/04/2017
BusinessEurope’s comments on the consumer protection cooperation regulation revision 09/11/2016
Comments on the geo-blocking proposal - a BusinessEurope position paper 10/10/2016
An efficient & fit-for-purpose consumer framework 02/09/2016
Proposals on online sale of goods and digital content - BusinessEurope comments 20/04/2016
Harmonisation of contract rules for digital content and tangible goods 17/09/2015
Press releases Date
Access to EU consumer group actions should support consumers, not law firms and funders 28/11/2019
An easier consumer journey when buying online 22/07/2019
EU New Deal for Consumers: a solution in search of a problem 11/04/2018
Stimulus for e-commerce positive - but doubts on geo-blocking initiative 25/05/2016
EU Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) is a win-win solution for all 15/02/2016
EU needs contract law fit for the 21st century 09/12/2015
Reports and studies Date
Recommendations for a better presentation of information to consumers 22/07/2019
Speeches Date
Opportunities and challenges in the digital era - Speaking points for Ulf Pehrsson at the European Consumer Summit "European consumers in the digital era" 01/04/2014
Challenges in the field of consumer protection: a business perspective - Speaking notes for Jérôme P. Chauvin at the EESC European Consumer Day conference, Thessaloniki 14/03/2014
Last updated: 4 July 2016