Kansainvälistä kuluttajan oikeuksien päivää vietetään joka vuosi 15. maaliskuuta. Tarkoituksena on lisätä tietoisuutta kuluttajien oikeuksista ja suojasta eri puolilla maailmaa. Euroopan parlamentilla on tärkeä rooli kuluttajien oikeuksien suojaamisessa kaikkialla Euroopan unionissa. EU:ssa on yli 450 miljoonaa kuluttajaa, joten oikeudenmukaisen kohtelun, avoimuuden ja turvallisuuden varmistaminen markkinoilla on olennaisen tärkeää. Katsotaanpa tarkemmin, miten kuluttajien oikeuksia suojellaan EU:ssa.

Kansainvälinen kuluttajan oikeuksien päivä

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 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)

EU rules on product safety are defined in the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD). Under the directive a product is safe if it meets all statutory safety requirements under European or national law. If there are no regulations or EU standards referenced in the Official Journal of the European Union, the product's compliance is determined according to other reference documents such as other European standards, national or international standards, Commission recommendations, or codes of practice. The General Product Safety Directive applies to consumer products when there are no specific provisions with the same objective in the rules of EU Law governing the safety of the products concerned.&nbsp;

Concerning toys, they are specifically covered by the stricter&nbsp;Toy Safety Directive&nbsp;(2009/48/EC).&nbsp;The EU's Toy Safety Directive (2009/48/EC) is the legislation that sets safety criteria for toys marketed in the European Union to ensure they do not pose a risk to children's health and safety. It covers general and specific risks, including physical, flammability, chemical, and electrical hazards. All toys sold in the EU must have a CE mark, which indicates compliance with the directive and other applicable laws, and the directive defines a "toy" as any product intended for play by children under 14.&nbsp;

The European Parliament has supported a new toy safety regulation, reaching a provisional agreement with the Council in April 2025 and approving the Council's position in November 2025. The new rules reinforce safety standards by banning or restricting hazardous chemicals like PFAS and endocrine disruptors, introducing digital product passports for better traceability, and banning allergenic fragrances in certain toys.&nbsp;

Consumer product safety

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

Following political agreement with the Council, a vote in plenary on 2 October 2018 saw Parliament adopt the updated EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), based on the proposal presented by the Commission on 25 May 2016.

The overarching goal of the proposal was to bring about a balance between competitiveness and consumer protection. It therefore aimed to introduce flexibility when restrictions only applicable to TV are no longer justified, promote European films, protect minors and tackle hate speech more efficiently. The proposal also reflected a new approach to online platforms. Following adoption of the revised directive, EU Member States now have to bring the new rules into national law by 19 September 2020.

Audiovisual Media Services Directive

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

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

IMCO - Vote on Protection of minors online

EP Plenary session - Public procurement

EP Plenary session - Product safety and regulatory compliance in e-commerce and non-EU imports

EP Plenary session - A stronger Europe for safer products to better protect consumers and tackle unfair competition: Boosting EU oversight in e-commerce and imports

Press conference on Green Claims Directive

EP Plenary session - Data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services

Breakfast directive - illustration

1.Decision on the annulment of the decision of the Commission on the withdrawal of the Standard essential patents proposal 2.Safety of toys and repealing Directive 3. Enhancing Police cooperation in relation to the prevention, detection and investigation of migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings 4. European Defense Industry Program 5. Partial renewal of Members of the Court of Auditors 6. Existence of a clear risk of a serious breach by Hungary of the values on which the Union is founded 7.Ensuring biological control agents 8. Institutional aspects of the report on the future of European competitiveness (Draghi Report) 9. Impact of artificial intelligence on the financial sector 10. 2024 budget – assessing the implementation of the gender mainstreaming methodology in the EU budget11. Genetically modified maize 12. Genetically modified cotton 13. Genetically modified oilseed rape 14. Genetically modified soybean 15. Genetically modified maize

Voting Session

MEPs debate on Protecting EU consumers against the practices of certain e-commerce platforms. Closing statement by Henna VIRKKUNEN, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy on protecting EU consumers against the practices of certain e-commerce platforms.

Protecting EU consumers against the practices of certain e-commerce platforms: closing statement by Henna VIRKKUNEN, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy

MEPS debate on protecting EU consumers against the practices of certain e-commerce platforms.

Protecting EU consumers against the practices of certain e-commerce platforms: MEPs debate

MEPs debate on Protecting EU consumers against the practices of certain e-commerce platforms. Opening statement by Henna VIRKKUNEN, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy on protecting EU consumers against the practices of certain e-commerce platforms. This transcription is the result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Protecting EU consumers against the practices of certain e-commerce platforms: opening statement by Henna VIRKKUNEN, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy

This infoclip illustrates plant-based food products sold in shops and being prepared in a restaurant. In October 2025, the European Parliament has voted to ban the use of some words to describe the variants of products which are not meat-based. MEPs decided to introduce a new definition of meat as “edible parts of animals” and specify that names such as steak, escalope, sausage or burger must be reserved exclusively for products containing meat and must exclude cell-cultured products.

Infoclip: Plant-based food

Sandro GOZI (Renew, FR), and Tiemo WÖLKEN (S&D, DE), hold a press conference on the reaction to the cancellation of the last trilogue on green claims directive, as co-rapporteurs. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Press conference by Sandro GOZI (Renew, FR), and Tiemo WÖLKEN (S&D, DE), co-rapporteurs, on the reaction to the cancellation of the last trilogue on green claims directive

This infoclip delves into the main aspects of the upcoming regulation on toys safety, which will replace the current directive dating 2009. The new legislation aims to reduce the high number of unsafe toys in the EU, especially those sold online or imported from non-EU countries. Toys should not contain any carcinogenic substances, endocrine disruptors, or PFAS. Digital product passports will help speed up customs checks and improve consumers’ access to safety information. In March 2025, the European Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement on new EU toy safety rules to enhance the protection of children’s health and development. The deal strengthens the role of economic operators in improving toy safety, and clarifies requirements for safety warnings and the digital product passport.

Infoclip: Enhancing toys safety

Following European elections in May 2019, the Parliament held its constituent session on 2 July 2019. Parliament, Council, and the Commission identified common priorities and committed to deliver on before the 2024 European Elections. With the series of videos "European Parliament’s priorities and achievements (2019-2024)", have a look back at the different legislative and political achievements reached by the EP. Parliament and Council approved new rules for recycling and producing sustainable batteries and reducing packaging waste. MEPs voted on a series of proposals to limit food and textiles waste. MEPs with the Council on an extensive revamp of the Eco-Design Directive for products to last longer and be easier to repair, upgrade and recycle. They also reached a deal on new rules on the right to repair.

consumers' protection (T)

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