Every year, on 15 March, we celebrate World Consumer Rights Day to raise awareness about consumer rights and protections around the world. The European Parliament plays a crucial role in safeguarding consumer rights across the European Union. With over 450 million consumers in the EU, ensuring fair treatment, transparency and safety in the marketplace is essential. Let’s find out how your consumer rights are protected in the EU.

World Consumer Rights Day

To help consumers to make healthier food choices, the European Commission wants producers of foods and drinks to display clear nutritional information on the front-of-pack. But this may not be so simple… Some Member States have already introduced their own labelling schemes to mark “healthy” products but will the EU win the battle at European scale?

EPRS policy podcast - Nutrition labelling schemes used in Member States

The EU has some of the strongest rules on consumer protection in the world! But sometimes, it can be difficult to enforce them… So, what can you do, as European consumer, if you’re not getting value for money? Get to know your rights!

EPRS policy podcast - Enforcement of consumer protection

Launched on 20 May 2020, the 'Farm to Fork' strategy put forward the EU’s ambition for making its food system a model of sustainability at all stages of the food value chain.

This strategy is at the heart of the Green Deal. It addresses comprehensively the challenges of sustainable food systems and recognises the inextricable links between healthy people, healthy societies and a healthy planet. Ensuring a sustainable livelihood for primary producers, who still lag behind in terms of income, is essential for the success of the recovery and the transition.

The Farm to Fork strategy aims to accelerate our transition to a sustainable food system that should have neutral and positive environmental impact, help mitigate climate change and adapt to its impact. It should also reverse the loss of biodiversity, ensure food security, nutrition and public health, making sure that everyone has access to sufficient, safe nutritious, sustainable food, preserve affordability of food while generating fairer economic returns, fostering competitivness of the EU supply sector and promoting fair trade.

A shift to a sustainable food system can bring environmental, health and social benefits, offer economic gains and ensure that the recovery from the crisis puts us onto a sustainable path.

Farm to fork

&nbsp;On 15 June 2026&nbsp;, a provisional agreement on a review of air passenger rights rules reached by Parliament and Council negotiators secured unanimous backing from the EP delegation to the so-called Conciliation Committee. The deal seeks to protect passengers against travel disruption, such as denied boarding and delayed or cancelled flights. MEPs have secured an air passenger rules deal that maintains compensation for three-hour delays, ensures faster reimbursement, fee-free child seating and flight price transparency.

Compensation and duty of care Parliament’s negotiators resisted a push to weaken air passenger rights. Under the deal, air travellers maintain the right to be reimbursed or re-routed and to claim compensation if a flight is delayed by more than three hours, if it is cancelled less than 14 days before a flight, or if they are denied boarding.

Compensation for delayed or cancelled flights will depend on flight distance: €250 for journeys up to 1,500 km, €400 for journeys between 1,500 km and 3,500 km, and €600 for all other longer journeys. Air carriers will have the possibility to reduce compensation by 50% for their longest journeys if passengers are offered re-routing to their final destination following travel disruption, or if the delay at arrival does not last more than four hours.

Passenger rights

Launched in 1962, the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) is a partnership between agriculture and society, and between Europe and its farmers. It aims to: support farmers and improve agricultural productivity, ensuring a stable supply of affordable food; safeguard European Union farmers to make a reasonable living; help tackle climate change and the sustainable management of natural resources; maintain rural areas and landscapes across the EU; keep the rural economy alive by promoting jobs in farming, agri-food industries and associated sectors.

The CAP is a common policy for all EU countries. It is managed and funded at European level from the resources of the EU’s budget. CAP 2023-27 To consolidate the role of European agriculture for the future, the CAP has evolved over the years to meet changing economic circumstances and citizens’ requirements and needs.

The CAP 2023-27 entered into force on 1 January 2023.&nbsp;Support for farmers and rural stakeholders across the 27 EU countries is based on the CAP 2023-27 legal framework and the choices detailed in the&nbsp;CAP Strategic Plans, approved by the Commission. The approved Plans are designed to make a significant contribution to the ambitions of the&nbsp;European Green Deal,&nbsp;Farm to Fork Strategy&nbsp;and&nbsp;Biodiversity Strategy.

Common agricultural policy (CAP)

GMO stands for genetically modified organisms. They are organisms whose genetic material has been artificially modified in order to give it a new property. For example, this could be to make it easier for a plant to resist a disease, insects or drought, or to increase crop productivity.

The EU's GMO legislation stems from 1990 when the first two directives concerning GMOs came into force. Both original directives have since been updated, but the definition of a GMO has remained unchanged. This is causing problems for new techniques developed since then. New plant genetic modification techniques, referred to as 'gene editing' or 'genome editing', have evolved rapidly in recent years, allowing much faster and more precise results than conventional plant-breeding techniques. They are seen as a promising, innovative field for the agri-food industry, offering great technical potential.There is, however, considerable debate as to how these new techniques should be regulated, and whether some or all of them should fall within the scope of EU legislation on genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

See more on this topic by visiting our <a href="https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/genetically-modified-organism-8th-parliamentary-term_6504_pk">package</a> for the 8th parliamentary term.

Genetically modified organism

MEPs, Council and the Commission discuss how to ensure energy supply, market stability, and affordable energy for industry and citizens in the current challenging geopolitical context.

EP Plenary debate on the Energy security

IMCO Members of the European Parliament are increasing scrutiny of major online marketplaces over the sale of unsafe or illegal products in the EU. As part of this work, the Parliament’s Internal Market Committee invited a representative from AliExpress to a discussion on 23 March 2026. The meeting follows earlier discussions with other platforms and reflects growing concern about product safety, consumer protection, and enforcement of EU rules online.

SHEIN appeared before IMCO on 27 January 2026. The session took place as lawmakers increased attention on how online marketplaces follow EU rules on product safety, consumer protection, and digital platforms. Members are also examining how the European Commission enforces these rules within the EU single market.

Over the past months, Members urged the Commission to strengthen action against illegal and unsafe goods entering the EU, including products sold through large platforms such as SHEIN and Temu. Several Members warned that slow or uneven enforcement across EU countries weakens consumer protection and creates unfair competition. They called for closer cooperation, updates to customs rules, and regular dialogue with online platforms to improve oversight across the market.

IMCO intends to continue holding regular scrutiny sessions on this topic with the Commission and stakeholders.

IMCO discussion with AliExpress representative

SHEIN/illegal and unsafe products online. Representatives of the online Chinese marketplace SHEIN appear before the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO) to discuss compliance with EU product safety, consumer protection, and online platforms rules.

Illegal and unsafe products online: SHEIN under the EU spotlight - IMCO Committee meeting

Voting session

The Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee votes on an update to EU rules on the safety of toys to better protect children and tackle the new challenges brought about by e-commerce and new technologies such as AI. The proposed regulation introduces new bans on the most harmful chemicals such as endocrine disruptors and a digital product passport to facilitate safety checks

IMCO vote on Toy safety

IMCO - Amazon faces EU scrutiny for systemic sale of unsafe and illegal products

IMCO Committee: Temu faces EU scrutiny for systemic sale of unsafe and illegal products

EP Plenary Session - Energy security, independence and supply in the geopolitical context - ensuring market stability and affordable energy for industry and citizens

IMCO - AliExpress faces EU scrutiny for systemic sale of unsafe and counterfeit goods

EP Plenary Session - Amending Regulations on agricultural products as regards market rules and sectoral support measures in the wine sector and for aromatised wine products

IMCO - Illegal and unsafe products online: SHEIN under the EU spotlight

EP Plenarysession - 2030 Consumer Agenda

EP Plenary session - Protecting citizens’ right to make cash payments and ensuring financial inclusion

Marilena RAOUNA, Cypriot Deputy Minister for European Affairs and Maroš ŠEFČOVIČ, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, and European Commissioner for Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency, close the debate on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and its current and future implications on energy prices as well as on the availability of fertilizers for our agricultural needs, and how to respond to it. This debate is held after EU heads of state or government met in Cyprus to discuss how to protect vulnerable households and businesses from high energy prices.

EU strategy to the ongoing Middle East crisis, its implications on energy prices and the availability of fertilizers: closing statements by Marilena RAOUNA, Cypriot Deputy Minister for European affairs, and Maroš ŠEFČOVIČ, European Commissioner

This video shows MEPs, the Council and the Commission debating the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and its current and futur implications on energy prices as well as on the availability of fertilizers for our agricultural needs, and how to respond to it. This debate is held after EU heads of state or government met in Cyprus to discuss how to protect vulnerable households and businesses from high energy prices.

EU strategy in response to the ongoing Middle East crisis, its implications on energy prices and the availability of fertilizers: MEPs debate (part 3)

EU strategy in response to the ongoing Middle East crisis, its implications on energy prices and the availability of fertilizers: MEPs debate (part 2)

EU strategy in response to the ongoing Middle East crisis, its implications on energy prices and the availability of fertilizers: MEPs debate (part 1)

One round of political group leaders begin the debate on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and its current and futur implications on energy prices as well as on the availability of fertilizers for our agricultural needs, and how to respond to it. This debate is held after EU heads of state or government met in Cyprus to discuss how to protect vulnerable households and businesses from high energy prices.

EU strategy to the ongoing Middle East crisis, its implications on energy prices and the availability of fertilizers: One round of political group leaders

Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission opens the debate on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and its current and futur implications on energy prices as well as on the availability of fertilizers for our agricultural needs, and how to respond to it. This debate is held after EU heads of state or government met in Cyprus to discuss how to protect vulnerable households and businesses from high energy prices. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

EU strategy to the ongoing Middle East crisis, its implications on energy prices and the availability of fertilizers: opening statement by Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission

Marilena RAOUNA, Cypriot Deputy Minister for European Affairs opens the debate on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and its current and futur implications on energy prices as well as on the availability of fertilizers for our agricultural needs, and how to respond to it. This debate is held after EU heads of state or government met in Cyprus to discuss how to protect vulnerable households and businesses from high energy prices. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

EU strategy to the ongoing Middle East crisis, its implications on energy prices and the availability of fertilizers: opening statement by Marilena RAOUNA, Cypriot Deputy Minister for European Affairs

This news item shows extracts from the debate on EU strategy in response to the ongoing Middle East crisis and its implications on energy prices. MEPs, the Council and the Commission discuss how to respond to the ongoing Middle East crisis and its implications for energy prices. With developments in Iran and the wider region threatening regional and global security, the EU is advocating de-escalation and peace, as well as freedom of navigation. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, highlights the severe economic impact of the war, increasing by €27 billion in just 60 days of conflict the fossil fuel import costs with no additional energy gained and boosts renewable and nuclear energy production. MEPs propose solutions and measures to control energy prices, ranging from promoting the European Grids Package to introducing a European tax on oil companies’ windfall profits.

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