The EU’s 2030 Consumer Agenda: A new regulatory playbook for 2026 and beyond

1. Four key priority areas

The 2030 Consumer Agenda sets out a five-year strategy for consumer policy structured around four core priorities:

a) Completing the single market for consumers: Action plan for consumers

To unlock the Single Market’s still unrealised consumer potential, the European Commission proposes the following action plan:

• Remove remaining cross-border barriers (e.g., VAT, national packaging, labelling or permit requirements) in areas such as access to goods/services, financial services and mobility/transport.
• Tackle “territorial supply constraints”, i.e., practices by manufacturers that restrict retailers from buying or reselling products in one Member State (e.g., to maintain artificial price differences across the EU).
• Re-evaluate the Geo-Blocking Regulation to close remaining loopholes (e.g., discrimination based on nationality or residence) and potentially adapt to emerging digital business models.
• Expand access to cross-border financial services such as loans, insurance, and basic payment accounts, while safeguarding consumers from over-indebtedness.
• Modernise mobility markets for a frictionless cross-border experience by strengthening passenger rights (e.g., new rules on vouchers, clearer information), considering the application of EU-wide rules for taxis and private hire vehicles, and removing obstacles to zero-emission vehicle charging through transparent pricing and easy payment options.

b) Digital fairness & consumer protection online

To strengthen the protection of consumers in the digital environment, the European Commission proposes measures to enhance digital fairness and safeguard users online:

• Introduce a Digital Fairness Act targeting technologically driven unfair commercial practices, including dark patterns (e.g., fake countdown timers to pressure user action), addictive design features (e.g., infinite scroll, never-ending auto-play), problematic influencer practices (e.g., no disclosure of advertising) and unfair personalization (e.g., exploiting emotional or financial vulnerabilities).
• Enhance protections for minors, including investigating social media impacts, implementing age verification via Digital Identity Wallets, and establishing an expert panel on children and social media.
• Strengthen online fraud prevention and expand consumer refund rights by revising rules like the Payment Services Directive, enforcing the Digital Services Act and increasing transparency around dropshipping models.
• Reform cookie and consent rules (“Digital Omnibus” package) to simplify consumer consent processes.
• Promote digital solutions such as the Digital Product Passport to improve consumer access to product information, reduce administrative burdens for businesses, ensure essential information remains available in physical form, and, through the use of European Business Wallets, facilitate sharing of product information between businesses, suppliers, manufacturers, and regulators.
• Embed trustworthy AI as a market standard by aligning with the AI Act strengthening transparency requirements (e.g., labelling AI-generated content), reviewing prohibited practices, and addressing liability in AI-mediated contracts.

c) Sustainable consumption

To ensure that consumers can access genuinely sustainable products and services while being better protected against greenwashing, the European Commission sets out measures to promote sustainable consumption:

• Support the Member States in implementing key sustainability legislation (e.g., Ecodesign Regulation, EmpCo Directive, "Right to Repair" Directive) that will introduce durability and reparability requirements for a broad range of products, notice and labelling requirements for legal guarantees, and a new European online platform for repair.
• Boost demand for secondary raw materials under the upcoming Circular Economy Act, promote circular business models such as product-as-a-service models (e.g., car or bike sharing), support circular start-ups, address consumer trust and product safety barriers in circular goods, and support scaling up durable, bio-based solutions.
• Restrict harmful chemicals (e.g., PFAS) in consumer goods (e.g., cosmetics, outdoor clothing) and packaging, aligning with the new rules under the PPWR.
• Explore “green by design” approaches in e-commerce such as sustainability filters, greener delivery options, and improved return management.
• Advance affordable zero-emission mobility (e.g., push for small EVs).

d) Effective enforcement & redress

To protect consumers from market actors (in particular non-EU actors) that fail to comply with the rules and to shield law-abiding businesses from unfair competition, the European Commission advances measures to improve enforcement and redress mechanisms:

• Sharpen the EU’s enforcement toolbox by revising the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Regulation to enable effective, faster, and more deterrent action, including exploring a centralized EU Market Surveillance Authority.
• Strengthen product-safety implementation by funding Coordinated Activities on the Safety of Products (CASP), improving consumer and business reporting tools (e.g., Consumer Safety Gateway, Safety Business Gateway), updating the Safety Gate Portal to ensure that businesses and consumers have access to relevant product safety rules, and providing better guidance to businesses, especially SMEs, on their product safety obligations.
• Complement the upcoming European Product Act by strengthening links between conformity assessment and market surveillance, and assessing additional enforcement measures, especially for imports via e-commerce.
• Leverage digital and AI enforcement tools such as web crawlers and interoperable product data systems.
• Ensure alternative dispute resolution mechanisms by strengthening the Representative Actions Directive, supporting bodies such as consumer organisations in effectively managing actions, and assessing the need for an EU Ombudsman for cross-border actions, while continuing to support the European Consumer Centres (ECC-Net) in resolving cross-border disputes.
• Enhance international cooperation and data-exchange via Safety Gate with non-EU countries (e.g., China).

2. Why it matters for businesses

The 2030 Consumer Agenda’s action items will reshape the regulatory and competitive landscape across sectors. Businesses that fail to adapt will face higher compliance costs, litigation exposure, enforcement risks and market-access challenges.

Key implications include:

• Product Design & Innovation: New requirements on durability, repairability, chemical restrictions, availability of spare parts, eco-friendly material use, and transparency will force companies to integrate sustainability and redesign products.
• Supply Chain & Sourcing: The push toward circular economy rules, recycled materials requirements, and transparency requires companies to rethink sourcing strategies and realign supply chains.
• Digital Business Practices: The Digital Fairness Act will require redesign of user journeys and interfaces, personalization logic, consent mechanisms, and AI-powered features to avoid unfair practices.
• Cross-Border Sales & Contracts: Reforms to geo-blocking, territorial supply constraints, and consumer rights (including legal guarantees) will force companies to revisit distribution agreements, online sales strategies, pricing models, and contractual terms.
• Liability & Risk Exposure: Stronger market surveillance, product safety, collective actions, and cross-border enforcement increase legal and financial risks for companies which fail to adapt, including fines, consumer claims, and reputational damage. Businesses must bolster compliance, reporting, and dispute-resolution mechanisms to manage these risks effectively. With cross-border operations and imports under closer scrutiny, full regulatory compliance is essential to avoid penalties and maintain market access.

Implementing these changes (e.g., repair services, Digital Product Passport, safer materials) will of course entail up-front costs. But companies that lead in transparency, sustainability, and consumer protection will build tangible strategic advantages.

Authored by Dr. Patrick Ayad, M.Jur. (Oxford), Dr. Florian Unseld, LL.M. (Sydney), Susanne Schuster, and Niklas Knop.