The ministerial meeting focuses on consumer rights and sustainable consumption
An informal ministerial meeting on consumer affairs, industry and the internal market took place in Bilbao, Spain. The ministerial meeting focused on the promotion of sustainable consumption and the New Consumer Agenda, which aims to increase the opportunities for EU consumers to contribute to the green and digital transitions.
“The New Consumer Agenda has been developed against the background of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In the aftermath, our societies have been confronted with new challenges – Russia's invasion of Ukraine, rising energy prices, inflation, etc. In this context, the common consumer agenda has become an effective instrument to help maintain sustainability as the Community standard. Decisions on the post-2025 Agenda must ensure that consumers are informed about their choices and that consumer organisations are more involved in this process,” stressed Vice-Minister of Justice Jurga Greičienė in her presentation at the meeting.
The ministerial meeting also discussed the promotion of sustainable consumption and how the digitisation of information can facilitate sustainable choices. Discussions also noted the challenges that consumers will face after 2025, such as climate change, the increasing mobility of EU citizens, and the impact of technology.
“Technologies such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things will play a greater role in the future. They will provide consumers with choices, personalisation, cost savings and more convenience. Such technologies can also help consumers and their organisations to access more information, as well as to detect breaches of legal acts, assess their compliance and obtain redress. However, before this becomes a reality, we must ensure that the use of technology does not lead to consumer exclusion and does not reduce consumer trust,” said Ms Greičienė.
The new Consumer Agenda was adopted in 2020. It sets out five priority areas for EU consumer policy for 2020–2025: green transition, digital transition, effective enforcement of consumer rights, protection of vulnerable consumer groups, and international cooperation.