15th Anniversary of the ECC Network

Foreword by Didier Reynders, EU Commissioner for Justice and Consumers

The 15th anniversary of the European Consumer Centres Network (ECCs) is an opportunity for us to look back and reflect on the success of the single market. For both face-to-face and online shopping, European Consumer Centres have remained relevant all along, as they have adapted very well to the new market trends and the new consumer shopping behaviours. 

The European Consumer Centre Network receives more than 120,000 requests from consumers each year. This year, as you can imagine, the ECC phone lines have been busier than ever due to the sharp increase in complaints at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic; earning ECCs even more consumer trust.

Daily contacts with consumers allow the ECCs to harness market knowledge, which is crucial for evidence-based policy-making, development and measuring the effectiveness of enforcement actions. Looking forward, I have no doubt that the ECC Network will continue to play a vital role in consumer protection. Indeed, under the revised Consumer Protection Cooperation Regulation, the ECCs were given the power to send external alerts to enforcement authorities and the Commission when they detect wrongdoings. 

ECCs will also be key for the successful roll out of the European Green Deal and the Digital Agenda for Europe through awareness-raising campaigns to promote sustainable consumption. 

ECCs have a bright and promising future ahead of them. I commend their work and the quality services they have been delivering to EU citizens over the past 15 years. I know we can count on them for the next years, they are a key asset for the European consumer policy and its future.

15 years of cross-border consumer protection

The European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net) operates in all EU Member States as well as Norway, Iceland and the UK, with support from the European funds and co-financing from national governments. Our main prerogatives are: 

• Provide free information and advice to consumers who purchase products and services within the European Union, so that they are fully aware of their rights.
• Assist with out-of-court settlement of disputes arising between traders and consumers from different EU Member States. 

Our history

Almost 30 years ago, the European Commission started to support the provision of information and assistance in cross-border consumer issues. The 'Euroguichets' network was thus created, with offices located and active mainly in border regions. Over time, the European Commission focused on establishing network partners in the Member States and named them 'European Consumer Centres'. 

In 2001, the European Extrajudicial Network (EEJ-Net) of information and assistance centres was founded to forward consumer disputes to competent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) bodies. Some Member States entrusted their existing European Consumer Centre (ECC) with this task, others opened separate contact points. In 2004, 13 Member States had ECCs, while the EEJ-Net covered 17 centres in 15 others. Two very similar networks were now responsible for cross-border consumer issues.

The ECC-Net was born

In 2005, both networks merged into one: the ECC-Net. Today, there is an ECC in every EU country as well as in Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom. More than 150 legal experts provide assistance in 24 different languages, free of charge. The ECC-Net continues to help consumers defend their rights, increase trust in the internal market and maintain a high level of consumer protection in Europe. It also continues to increase its influence on European policy- and decision-makers.

Over time, complaints have become more complex and the number of consumers needing our help is increasing. While it fulfils an indispensable role in protecting consumer rights successfully, after the introduction of the euro in some EU Member States and in light of ever-moreadvanced digital commerce and other cross-border technologies all over Europe, the ECC-Net faces new challenges all the time.

30 centres – 15 years of experience and unique expertise

The primary role of the ECC-Net is to increase consumer confidence when they engage in cross-border transactions by providing free information and advice on their rights, as well as assistance with resolving their cross-border consumer complaints. As a collective external alert mechanism, ECCs will also increase their cooperation with national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws (CPC Network). 

From 12 December 2020¹, the ECC-Net will also join the Single digital gateway implemented by the European Commission and the Member States as an information and advice service. The ECC-Net is a vital on consumer rights service within the EU and for resolving problems with traders from another EU Member State, Iceland, Norway or the UK. The Consumer Conditions Scoreboard 2017 shows that the ECC-Net receives more cross-border complaints than Alternative Dispute Resolution bodies or the European Small Claims Procedure.

Direct continuous contact with consumers across Europe enables us to identify the challenges EU citizens face in countries across the Internal Market and to address them with EU policymakers.

Recent consumer difficulties relate to technological developments such as artificial intelligence, use of smart connected objects and self-driving vehicles. However, basic consumer rights still need to be further strengthened and harmonised for both normal and exceptional situations. 

The ECC-Net works closely with national consumer organisations, policymakers, academics and stakeholders such as business organisations and public-interest NGOs. Nowadays, a solid and comprehensive consumer rights policy helps businesses grow their market share, contributes to the optimal functioning of commercial markets and guarantees the implementation of consumers‘ rights and entitlements.

¹ Single market programme beyond 2020: "The network also intends to develop reciprocity arrangements with similar bodies in third countries."

ECC-Net and COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic is having a great impact on both consumers and businesses. Many economic sectors have been severely affected, especially tourism. From the very beginning of the health emergency period, the staff of all European Consumer Centres was there to answer the many questions and complaints received from European citizens regarding the cancellation of their transport options, hotel bookings, rental reservations, package holidays and flights. 

The imposition of lockdowns and travel restrictions had led to increasing numbers of complaints well beyond travel and transport. Problems were experienced across the board with all things such as online shopping delays, cancellation of cultural and sporting events, disruption of academic studies and scheduled training

Workload increases

Whereas the first weeks of the crisis generated increased volumes of questions on consumer rights for all of our ECCs, as of late, our focus as a network is on collaborating to help resolve disputes between consumers and traders following cancellations and refund issues primarily.

Key areas

The increase in caseload across our network of offices has been unprecedented and many ECCs have had to adopt emergency case handling measures to cope with the additional workload. April was the busiest month in the history of the network in terms of consumer queries:17,600 consumers contacted us for assistance. 

The overall workload increase was compounded by a high number of non-coronavirus cases, far more than those received over 2019. COVID-19 has also impacted existing consumer law in many countries and the ECCs need to keep themselves and consumers up to date with national legislative changes and developments related to the following key areas:

• Hotels
• Package travel
• Event tickets
• Accommodation
• Passenger transport and air travel
• Car rental
• Prescription periods

Remote working in the ECC-Net

In order to comply with local and national health regulations in their various countries, some of our offices have continued to work remotely so as to provide our services to consumers. As such, our service provision model remained unchanged - throughout the crisis, we continued to dispense direct assistance to consumers via our communications channels, through our digital and social media platforms, and in partnership with European media outlets.

The European Consumer Centres exchange information on a daily basis about legislative changes introduced in the aftermath of the crisis. For example, some European countries have temporarily adapted their legislation on travel and refunds for cancelled events, in particular.

In addition, we have implemented a series of efficiency processes in our query processing work. For example, our casehandlers across our 30 offices in the EU EEA share a database that is constantly updated with the latest information on COVID-19 national legislative changes, as soon as these come into force. In times of crisis, European consumers must be able to rely on expert qualified advice so as to be able to exercise their rights and be fully protected. Since the beginning of the crisis, the European Commission has been committed to protect consumers online. In this context, the ECCs provided a wealth of information that helps consumers deal with serious issues such as online scams and counterfeit products.

Another source of grave concern is the proliferation of unfair commercial practices on online platforms. Some traders try to leverage the vulnerabilities of consumers to sell products such as face masks, sanitising products and medicines that are advertised as capable of preventing or treating Coronavirus infections.

These unfair practices have been investigated and confirmed by the European Commission, which then launched a joint action to protect consumers from such rogue traders. In this context, cooperation between the ECC-Net, the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (CPC), the European Commission and other enforcement authorities is essential.

12 topics campaign

Celebrating 15 years: A different consumer information campaign every month

Over 2020, the 30 ECCs have chosen the 12 most important topics in consumer rights. The 12 consumer rights topics we have chosen to promote will shed light on our work and give an overview on the most pressing common issues encountered by the consumers we have helped over the last 15 years. We have prepared a wealth of information to help consumers to exercise their rights and traders to understand their obligations. Check the resources on our website and social media, and access our lovingly-prepared reports, explainer videos, consumer surveys, press releases and interesting infographics.

1. Sustainability

In January the ECC-Net joined forces to raise awareness on sustainable consumption.
ECC Italy & ECC Netherlands

2. Unfair deals

A network-wide press release on how to avoid unfair deals advertised on social media. Consumers from all over the EU participated in a lottery game on social media. 
ECC Bulgaria & ECC Denmark

3. Guarantee & withdrawal 

What to do when you change your mind and want to return goods? Campaign on guarantees and withdrawal rights.
ECC Luxembourg

4 & 5. Consumer assistance 

Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 12-topic-campaign was postponed. Over several months the ECC-Net used their social media presence on providing assistance to consumers.

6. Safer streaming 

How to avoid subscription traps and how to stream legally and safely. 
ECC Austria in cooperation with FAMA

7. Air passenger rights 

What to do when the flight was cancelled or the baggage got lost? The ECC-Net provided information on social media and through an Europe-wide press release.
ECC Cyprus

8. Counterfeit products 

Online or on-holiday traps are proliferating. We explained how consumers recognise counterfeit goods. ECC Sweden

9. Package travel 

A brochure in several European languages and a social media campaign on consumer rights for package tours.
ECC Germany

10. Guide to redress 

A PDF guide and tips on social media: 'How to claim your consumer rights' 
ECC Belgium

11. Geoblocking & e-commerce 

Several GIFs on the end of geoblocking in e-commerce. 
ECC France, ECC Poland, ECC Latvia, ECC Lithuania 

12. Christmas calendar & chargeback 

One consumer tip every day until Christmas and everything you need to know about chargeback.
ECC Finland, ECC Czech Republic

A look to the future: making a difference

Being proactive

Future is never easy to predict. The coronavirus pandemic put us all to the test, not only as individual citizens and consumers but also as a Europe-wide operating network. It proved that fast communication, goal-oriented case handling and strong international cooperation are needed to react to rapidly changing and unpredictable situations.

The impact of COVID-19 on the Gross Domestic Product of some Member States has already been severe, some more so than others. Unstable supply markets, changing travelling habits and consumption patterns of European consumers and bankruptcies of companies are among the likely medium-term outcomes of the pandemic. We have also seen scams and misleading practices increase during the corona pandemic, taking advantage of the vulnerability of thousands of consumers. We remain ready for these challenges and to adjust our information, service and activities quickly and flexibly.

The core activity of the network is case handling and consumer advice. But based on direct and personalised assistance to consumers, the ECC-Net has key information and can share experiences and knowledge with Alternative Dispute Resolution and/or enforcement bodies, as well as other stakeholders such as consumer organisations and trade associations, always in the collective interest of consumers and fair markets for honest traders.

The revised Consumer Protection Cooperation Regulation, applicable since January 2020, has given the European Consumer Centres the power to send external alerts to the enforcement authorities and the European Commission. This mechanism allows to quickly identify consumer threats and to tackle them. The ECC-Net is ready to use this possibility in the upcoming months and years for a better protection of European consumers.

Being digital

The ECC-Net was faced with a significant increase in consumer contacts, while at the same time having to switch to remote work overnight due to national confinement measures. Quickly and without disruption to the service, the ECCs adopted the necessary technical measures to continue serving its consumers. Over the last few years, the European Commission and the ECC-Net have developed a robust data management and case-handling IT infrastructure. A reliable online case-handling system and information sharing platform allowed a successful service in exceptional times. Online meetings allowed us to keep in permanent contact throughout the 30 countries. Digitalisation of our services must now be expanded further. ECC-Net will strive to improve its technical environment and adopt modern online self-service tools for consumers.

More automation in case handling via, for example, intelligent complaint forms for consumers and AI-enhanced information provision are being looked at. The pandemic has also shown that now, more than ever, both consumers and other stakeholders need a one-stop-shop to get in touch with the ECC-Net as a whole. Therefore, the network is launching a website to facilitate outreach.

Digital technology advancements and smart contracting processes within the EU Single Market will allow us to focus on creating further digital solutions for our own case handling. Special attention will be given to online marketplaces and web stores, new digital selling methods, mediation services, digital content and products, and cooperation with third countries. The ECC-Net is always au fait with the latest developments. In this changing environment consumers must be given access to increased transparency (trader identity, information requirements, commercial communications and consumer profiling) and fair contractual conditions. Enforcement authorities must be equipped with the necessary tools and effective penalties to sanction abusive market players.

The Digital Services Act shall ensure a level-playing field for businesses so they can enjoy the potential of the Single Market and help them be more competitive and earn consumer trust. The ECC-Net will advise consumers on how to best interact with automated decision-making systems and other innovative digital services and applications. For example, it will advise on how to request checks and corrections of errors resulting from automated decisions or how to obtain redress for any damage related to the use of these automated systems.

The objective of the legislation is to preserve the principle of “what is illegal offline is also illegal online” and support the interplay between EU consumer protection legislation and data protection.

Being environmentally conscious

The pandemic encouraged many consumers to adopt more environmentallyaware behaviours: less flights and travel for some, buy more local products and support local traders for others. Staying at home also means less commute-related carbon emissions. At the same time, e-commerce has enjoyed dramatic increase.

In the coming years, the ECC-Net would like to encourage consumers, especially in cross-border contexts, to become more responsible and make informed choices with regard to their consumer behaviour. Sustainability should be an important factor to consumers’ purchase decisions. However, there is also a risk of consumers receiving only partial or even deceptive information.

Therefore the ECC-Net will support the EU Commission and the flagship ‘Green Deal’ by proposing awareness-raising on "planned or premature obsolescence"and/or "greenwashing practices" disguising misleading environmental claims. As a follow-up of a previous joint project, the ECC-Net will inform consumers on legislation concerning spare parts and repairs, in line with the current efforts by the national and EU legislator towards a circular and sharing economy.

Sustainability is the overarching objective that guides our Network‘s operational processes and the nature of the advice we supply to EU consumers on more environmentally-friendly consumption. We do this by raising awareness on durable, less polluting products that have a longer lifespan and higher repair potential.

The ECC-Net looks forward to engaging further with stakeholders regarding potential substantive rights and responsibilities emerging in this sector.

Being a service-oriented Network

The ECC-Net has proven its strength over the last years and the recent Corona crisis highlighted its added value and operational effectiveness. Today we are united in the face of continuous challenges and ever-increasing demand for our services.

We recognise the challenges ahead, such as our own limited resources, changing consumer behaviour and technological developments. With the support and input of the European Commission, we will continue to invest in further employee engagement and targeted training that will enable us to optimise our individual centres‘ services and allow us to sync and strengthen our operations across the Network.

The ECC-Net aims to provide the highest quality of service through expertly trained staff operating in close and productive collaboration across all our member offices in the field of cross-border consumer rights.

Our pan-European case handling knowledge base and standardised processes and procedures are examples on how we managed to professionalise and streamline our information provision and consumer assistance prerogatives.

As the crisis has shown, a high level of preparedness when it comes to reviewing and implementing frequent to daily legislative updates in national and European law has served our offices and the work of the entire network well. We will continue to further improve and modernise our resources and processes in order to respond to high and changing consumer needs and to collaborate successfully with our partners and stakeholders, both national and European.

Being an active and reliable partner

Our unique continent-wide perspective on cross-border consumer rights and issues, the ECC-Net is a valuable partner to all key stakeholders and collaborators both at EU and national level.

We will be active in supporting the EU Commission’s priorities such as sustainability and the digital transition, and will be ready to help shape consumer policy by providing first-hand information about the experiences of European consumers. 

The media is an essential partner in helping to reach larger audiences and raise awareness on cross-border issues. One of our proudest moments in 2020 was a social media video campaign in conjunction with our partners in the European Commission on raising visibility of our Network‘s services and the importance of consumer rights in an unpredictable world.

Being there for European consumers

We will keep their interests in mind, when answering based on our experience on the ground to public consultations and by cooperating with stakeholders, in order to strengthen existing policies and advocating for new pro-consumer EU legislation.

The Network has contributed greatly in the European Commission‘s Consumer Agenda consultations. ECC-Net is regarded by our European partners as pivotal in the implementation of the upcoming consumer rights and will continue to receive European co-funding for this purpose from the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027.

We are honoured to help contribute to enhancing consumer law protections for each and all EU citizens.

We remain committed to consumer rights advancement and promotion in our dayto-day work as well as conveying the real needs consumers at the level of policy making, implementation and enforcement.