10 years serving Europe’s consumers. Anniversary report 2005-2015 : the European Consumer Centres Network

European Consumer Centres (ECCs) provide information, free advice and assistance on cross-border shopping in the EU, Norway and Iceland. They are co-financed by the European Commission and national governments in order to make sure that everyone can take full advantage of the Single Market, both material and digital, wherever, whatever or however they buy. They act as a network, the ECC-Net, to provide information and advice on making trouble-free purchases and on the rights available if consumers run into problems either during the transaction or subsequently. These can range from being discriminated against on the grounds of residence to hidden charges, from failure to respect the 14-day coolingoff period for distance and online purchases to cancellation of a flight.

The Centres provide free assistance to consumers so that they are well aware of their rights and can easily reach an agreement with traders on their own. For the more difficult cases, they can also call on the help of the ECC in the trader’s country. The network also pools its expertise to provide information on topical issues to consumers and traders. For example, in 2014 they developed a travel app for consumers and advice to traders on consumers’ e-commerce rights. Where the Centres are unsuccessful in brokering a satisfactory agreement between traders and consumers, they will advise consumers to use the court or out-of-court dispute resolution scheme best suited to their case. The Centres also produce studies and reports as input to policy development, and work with enforcement authorities.