European Consumers Centres Network
What is the ECC-Net?
The European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net) is a network of consumer centres belonging to the EU Member States, to Norway and Iceland.
The European Consumer Centres (ECCs) provide information on consumer rights, free advice and assistance on cross-border shopping. They work closely with other EU-wide networks, EU institutions and national consumer protection authorities.
What can ECC-Net do for me as a consumer?
The European Consumer Centre in your country can:
- Explain your rights as a consumer, especially for purchases of goods and services in another EU country, Iceland and Norway
- Help you to draft a complaint against a seller based in another EU country, Iceland or Norway
- Assist you with settlement of a dispute with such a trader, in particular by finding an amicable solution
- Tell you who to contact if they can't help
Examples of issues that ECC-Net can help you to sort out:
- Online shopping:
- my product was not delivered
- delivery of defective/wrong product
- Online scam / internet frauds
- Issues with cross-border banking
- Air passenger rights
- Car rental problems
- Timeshares/holiday clubs
Exchange of Officials
Exchange of Officials is a programme set to reinforce consumer protection in Europe through promoting the exchange of best practices and knowledge.
The programme contributes to a coordinated and coherent approach to the enforcement of Union laws protecting consumers' interests, and is open to officials involved in the application of the Consumers Protection Cooperation (CPC) Regulation.
The programme may be used in synergy with the CPC grant scheme such as for:
- Proposals under the CPC Grant Call integrated with Exchange of Officials visits, the cost of which may be covered by the latter programme;
- Organisation of CPC Grant workshops covering the costs of attendance through Exchange of Officials Programme
How does it work?
Generally, the exchanges consist of one or more visiting officials attending a 3-5 day work-mission to a host organisation, in order to share and/or exchange field expertise with his/her peers.
The exchanges may notably cover visits, coordination of enforcement or investigations, small workshops and trainings.
Aiming to tackle common issues between enforcement authorities, exchanges may be further tailored to specific options/modalities of exchanges, such as seminars and cross-border actions and ad hoc trainings.
Invitation to participate to the programme is launched every year with a Call for Application.
As part of the European policy to assist every citizen in Europe in order to fully enjoy the advantages of the single market, ECCs are co-financed by the national governments and the European Union.
Find answers to your questions regarding the networks under the Consumer Programme.