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Your rights in the EU

Your rights in the EU: Key Legislation

European Union consumer law protects your rights when buying goods, subscribing to services, or travelling across EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

1. Buying Goods, Digital Content & E-Commerce

  • Directive (EU) 2019/771 on certain aspects concerning contracts for the sale of goods.

  • Directive (EU) 2019/770 on contracts for the supply of digital content and digital services.

  • Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights (as amended by Directive (EU) 2019/2161 – Omnibus Directive).

  • Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety (GPSR).

  • Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 on a Single Market for Digital Services (Digital Services Act – DSA).

  • Directive 2000/31/EC on electronic commerce.

2. Unfair Commercial Practices & Price Transparency

  • Directive 2005/29/EC concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices (Unfair Commercial Practices Directive).

  • Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms in consumer contracts.

  • Directive 98/6/EC on consumer protection in the indication of the prices of products offered to consumers.

3. Transport & Passenger Rights

  • Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 on air passenger rights (denied boarding, delays, and cancellations).

  • Regulation (UE) 2021/782 on rail passengers’ rights and obligations.

  • Regulation (EU) No 181/2011 concerning the rights of passengers in bus and coach transport.

  • Regulation (EU) No 1177/2010 concerning the rights of passengers when travelling by sea and inland waterway.

  • Montreal Convention for the unification of certain rules for international carriage by air.

4. Travel, Accommodation & Timeshare

  • Directive (EU) 2015/2302 on package travel and linked travel arrangements.

  • Directive 2008/122/EC on the protection of consumers in respect of timeshare, long-term holiday products, resale, and exchange contracts.

5. Financial Services

  • Directive (EU) 2023/2225 on credit agreements for consumers (Consumer Credit Directive).

  • Directive (EU) 2023/2673 concerning financial services contracts concluded at a distance.

6. Redress, ADR & Jurisdiction

  • Directive 2013/11/EU on alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes (Consumer ADR Directive).

  • Regulation (EC) No 861/2007 establishing a European Small Claims Procedure.

  • Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (Brussels I Recast).

  • Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 on the law applicable to contractual obligations (Rome I).

7. Enforcement & Collective Redress

  • Directive (EU) 2020/1828 on representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers.

  • Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws (CPC Regulation).