Europe Day: ECC-Net recovers €10 million for consumers

Last year, the European Consumer Centres Network helped consumers in Europe to recover almost €10 million.
Thanks to the ECC-Net arbitration solutions, more than 118,000 people found help in cross-border cases.
On the occasion of Europe Day on 9 May, ECC Poland reports on the activities of the network and summarises the past year.

The network of 29 European Consumer Centres provides consumers with an opportunity to learn about their rights so that they can take full advantage of the benefits of the European Single Market.

About Europe Day

Europe Day is celebrated every year on 9 May. This date marks the anniversary of the historic signing of the Schuman Declaration in 1950. Robert Schuman, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, put forward his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe. In the declaration, the politician proposed the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), whose members would share coal and steel production. The ECSC, originally consisting of France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, was the first in a series of supranational institutions. The proposal was a plan to guarantee long-term peace in post-war Europe and is considered the beginning of what is now the European Union.

Cancelled flights and much more: more than 118,000 consumer questions

When a European seller or company does not respect consumers’ rights, they can contact the European Consumer Centre in their country of residence for help and advice. The ECC helps interested stakeholders to find an amicable, out-of-court solution.

Matthew bought his flight tickets through a Czech ticket platform. He planned to travel with a connecting flight in London. It turned out that the flight would be rescheduled by two days. The consumer asked for a refund because, as a result of the re-routing, he would have to wait two days at the airport. The intermediary refused, explaining that the airline would also refuse a refund. Matthew asked for help to the ECC.

Cases such as this one are part of the daily work of ECC-Net centres. In 2022, ECC Poland received 6857 notifications, 40% of which were complaints about the air transport sector.

Last year, the ECC-Net responded to some 118 000 consumer questions from 29 EU countries. As in Poland, these included flight delays, overpriced holiday rentals, false concert tickets or cancelled trains.

The network, funded by the European Commission and the Member States, was able to recover almost ten million euros last year. The real economic benefit is even greater. In many cases, the ECC-Net was able to spare consumers from having to pay in the first place. For example, when it preventedpeople from falling into a subscription trap.

Impulse generator: Digital justice & more

The ECC-Net is a regular source of information for MEPs, other consumer organisations and the press. It compares legislation across Europe and highlights best practices and challenges in consumer protection. For example, the ECC-Net has published a position paper on digital justice as an input to the EU Fitness Check on the same topic. The paper, available at www.eccnet.eu, critically examines phenomena such as dark patterns , automatic contract renewals and in-app purchases.

In addition to mediating between European consumers and traders, the ECC-Net and ECC Poland:

cooperate with ombudsmen, other consumer organisations and with ADR,
share expertise on important topics, such as passenger rights or safe online shopping,
participate in meetings with consumers by organising seminars and workshops,
participate in consultations organised by European and national organisations to contribute to the development of better consumer policy.