The European Commission has issued its 2030 Consumer Agenda which includes some digital and online initiatives. It focuses on four key priority areas.
Digital fairness and consumer protection online
In 2026, the Commission will propose a Digital Fairness Act to strengthen the protection of consumers in the digital environment. This will cover practices such as dark patterns, addictive design features or unfair personalisation that takes advantage of consumers’ vulnerabilities. The Digital Fairness Act will pay particular attention to the protection of children online to reduce the exposure of minors to harmful practices and features in digital products. The Commission will also simplify rules for businesses and explore how digital solutions can reduce administrative burden for companies and improve access to information for consumers. Reinforcing the protection of consumers against online fraud will also be an important area of work.
Effective enforcement and redress
The exponential growth of e-commerce has led to the growing circulation of unsafe or uncompliant products originating mostly from third countries. Consumers also face unfair commercial practices online from non-compliant traders. In 2026, the Commission will prioritise the review of the Consumer Protection Cooperation Regulation to strengthen enforcement, protect consumers from market players who do not respect the rules, and shield compliant businesses from unfair competition. The Commission will assess the need for centralising enforcement powers in specific cases and how to further strengthen coordination among national authorities. To tackle the non-compliance of products sold on the EU market, the Commission will ensure the effective enforcement of the General Product Safety Regulation and propose a revision of the rules on market surveillance. The EU will also continue to cooperate directly with third countries, to tackle product safety at the source.
Completing the Single Market for consumers
The Commission wants to eliminate cross-border obstacles for consumers and boost opportunities for businesses. This includes the evaluation of the Geo-Blocking Regulation, to assess whether it has met its objective to eliminate unjustified geo-blocking and other forms of discrimination based on nationality, place of residence or establishment.
Promoting sustainable consumption
The Commission will support Member States in the implementation of EU product and consumer laws, which protect consumers against greenwashing, promote a wider offer of sustainable goods, and facilitate the durability and repairability of products. The Commission will also support the circular economy by working with stakeholders to promote the return of goods that are no longer used, second-hand markets or innovative circular start-ups.
The implementation of the Agenda will be regularly discussed at the Annual Consumer Summit. The Commission will also convene regular Ministerial Forums on consumer protection to provide high-level political guidance to the implementation of the Agenda.
