Today, the Commission presented its EU budget agenda for the time period between 2021 and 2027 proposing a €4 billion Single Market program to enhance consumer protection and empowerment.
These are the program’s central aspects:
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The new program seeks to effectively enforce consumer rights, ensure a high level of consumer protection as well as product safety and to support consumers when dealing with problems, for instance when shopping online. As proposed in the New Deal for Consumers, the program also aims to facilitate consumers' access to redress.
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EU consumers shall have further access to safe and high quality food in the integrated European Single Market. Funding under the new program will support the safe production of food, the prevention and eradication of animal diseases and plant pests as well as the improvement of animal welfare in the EU.
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Moreover, by strengthening the cooperation between Member States and the Commission the program plans to ensure that EU rules are effectively implemented and enforced. Also, European standardization organizations will be supported in developing up-to-date and future-proof standards.
Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, commented: "We need to ensure that consumers are able to benefit from their rights. This means providing them with practical advice on consumer issues and removing dangerous products from the market. This is what the new Single Market Program will achieve. For the first time, we will also fund collective redress procedures, as we announced in the New Deal for Consumers."
Source: European Commission
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