Consumer Dialogues on the New Deal for Consumers

Consumer Dialogues on the New Deal for Consumers

Contact
Carina Toernblom
Department/Sector/Unit
JUST Directorate E
Other Organisations
JUST.E1
JUST.E2
JUST.E3
JUST.E4

Description

The National Consumer Dialogues support the 'New Deal for Consumers' package, announced as a political priority of this Commission by President Junker in his 2017 SOTEU speech and elaborated in the letter of intent of 13 September 2017.

The Dialogues will be a platform where stakeholders from the civil society, such as consumer and business organisations, together with government representatives and national enforcement authorities, and citizens can share their views on consumer issues in the EU with Commissioner Jourova making it clear that ''the EU'' is listening to what they expect EU Consumer policy to deliver and to improve.

The purpose of the Dialogues is twofold: for the Commission to listen to the citizens' expectations on the future EU Consumer Policy while also having the opportunity to present the new package on consumer protection, through a bottom-up approach beyond the ''Brussels Bubble'', directly answering questions around the proposed policy package.

Participation Spectrum

When and Where

Start Year
2018

Policy Context

Science or Policy Field
Specific Topic
Consumer policy (including digital, sustainable consumption, enforcement).
- Re-fit of Consumer Law to modernise EU consumer rules and collective redress.
- Future policy priorities such as Sustainable Consumption, Digital consumer, enforcement of consumer rights.

Participants

Participants
3000
Communities or representatives involved
Consumer and business organisations, youth representatives (Forum, Councils), consumer and business organisations, ministries, national enforcement agencies, regulators, academia.
How were the Participants selected?
Through what means citizens knew about the call for participation?
Web, Media, Networking, Youth - open calls via Youth Forum and direct contacts with national youth councils and other organisations.

Methodologies

Events
31
Methodologies used
Methodology description
Citizen Dialogue model using webstreaming (YouTube, Facebook, EC Audiovisual Service) and social media (twitter). Panel of experts, open debate and Q&A on the topic, as well as Sli.do.
Tools Used
Spaces Used

Impact

Main Outcomes and Lasting Achievement
- Multi-network meetings to avoid "silos" continued in MS that did not have this approach.
- Adoption of the New Deal for Consumers (ongoing).
- Networking between consumer organisations and youth and national policymakers and regulators.
- Creation of a second round of dialogues on the future EU policies including youth representatives.
How were the outcome taken up within the process they were carried out?
Yes. The New Deal for Consumers was adopted and the policy priorities in the Consumer Dialogues were included in the future policy priorities of the Directorate.
Other Feedback
Publication of a summary on the Europa website and the concluding event Les assises des consommateur.
Were the methodologies used elsewhere?
Continued with outreach to youth on Sustainable Consumption and Digitalisation connected to other policy areas such as the Consumer Policy Network in Berlin and the Citizens' Energy Forum 2019 in Dublin.

Assessment

Reason for such challenges and solutions
We had to work harder and be more efficient to deliver 27 Dialogues between 02/05 and 26/11; following dialogues were easier.
The contract was another issue: it was impossible to commit all our budget in one contract as it was too large for the COMM framework contract, so we had to split it into three contracts.
Lessons Learn
- Citizens know more than is perceived, but there are a lot of fake news/myths to counter and de-construct.
- Citizens use dialogues to vent their frustrations and to ask questions also about their national situation and policies.
- Dialogues allow the Commission to inquire and understand the current challenges that citizens face, as well as the administration and civil society, and to draw the future priorities.
Recommendation
- Inform all Reps in advance, we did this and it helps.
- Adapt to each MS specificity and let the Ministry choose timing if possible and co-organise with them.
- Engage youth and make them commit to dates in advance.