The European Commission has launched public consultations on two new EU consumer law initiatives.
1. New Consumer Agenda
A public consultation on the new Consumer Agenda opened on 30 June. As part of the Commission’s 2020 Work Programme (see our blog here), the Commission is in the process of moving to a new Consumer Agenda that seeks to align its EU consumer protection policy with “today’s realities”. These realities include the increased number of cross-border and online transactions, and the economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis. The new Consumer Agenda will look to close gaps in the effective enforcement of consumer rights, and increase international cooperation to better protect consumers in the current climate.
Feedback on the Commission’s Roadmap (which sets out the Commission’s plans for this initiative) must be submitted by 11 August 2020 and the public consultation closes on 6 October 2020. You can find more information about this initiative and submit your comments here and here.
2. Strengthening the role of consumers in the green transition – new Circular Economy Action Plan
In parallel, the Commission is running a separate public consultation on introducing consumer law measures outlined in the new Circular Economy Action Plan. These include new rules to tackle premature product obsolescence, requirements to provide consumers with information on the lifespan of products and repairability at the point of sale, prevent “greenwashing” claims and set minimum requirements for sustainability logos and labels. These changes would sit alongside a broader program of initiatives under the new Circular Economy Action Plan which include, among others, extending the so called “right-to-repair”, imposing requirements on energy efficiency, durability, upgradability, maintenance, reuse and recycling for certain products. See our blog here to find out more.
Feedback on the Commission’s Roadmap must be submitted by 1 September 2020 and the public consultation closes on 6 October 2020. You can find more information about the initiative and submit your comments here and here.
These consultations represent an important opportunity for product stakeholders to have their say and help shape future policy and regulation in these areas. Feedback will be made public. Please reach out to the Cooley products team if you need help or advice in relation to either of these consultations.
