On 28 September 2026, the The Greens parliamentary group held the conference “Strong Consumers, Strong Democracy” at the Paul Löbe Building of the German Bundestag. ConPolicy Managing Director Prof. Dr Christian Thorun moderated the event.
The conference focused on the contribution consumer policy can make to a strong democracy. Consumers experience public rules, market regulation and the enforceability of their rights directly in their everyday lives. Where rules are upheld, rights are effectively enforced and people are able to assert themselves vis-à-vis powerful market actors, consumer policy can help strengthen trust in public institutions and the rule of law.
Another key focus was on imbalances of power and information between consumers and providers. Particularly in digital markets, artificial intelligence, manipulative design practices, personalised offers and the effective enforcement of consumer rights are creating new challenges for policymakers.
Seven thematic forums also addressed current challenges in areas including retirement provision, mobility, food, energy, consumer advice, European consumer policy and sustainable consumption.
For ConPolicy Managing Director Prof. Dr Christian Thorun, this points to a central task for modern consumer policy: “Consumer policy is everyday policy. Precisely for this reason, it can make an important contribution to strengthening trust in political institutions and in the state’s capacity to act. At the same time, good consumer policy can make people’s everyday lives easier and help ensure that the two major transformations of our time – digitalisation and sustainability – are shaped successfully and with consumers’ interests in mind.”
The conference thus underlined that consumer policy extends far beyond individual rights and market rules: it can contribute to fairness, a sense of agency and trust in a democratic society capable of effective action.