Europe: Consumer Protection

On 19 August 2026 the CMA launched three further investigations under the DMCC Act consumer protection regime over concerns that consumers were not shown the total price upfront when buying train tickets, holidays or driving lessons.

Le droit de rétractation est un outil de protection essentiel dans les contrats conclus hors établissement. Mais son point de départ varie selon la nature du contrat : prestation de service ou vente de bien

Since our last podcast in July 2025, which covered the key features of the UK's enhanced consumer protection regime introduced under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act...

Wanneer een werkgever geld leent aan een werknemer, lijkt dit een interne aangelegenheid. Maar wanneer kwalificeert zo'n lening als consumentenkrediet, en welke verplichtingen gelden er dan voor de werkgever? Het Hof Den Haag heeft recent uitspraak gedaan over een werkgever die de restschuld van een personeelslening probeerde te innen, met verrassende gevolgen.

Der Europäische Gerichtshof hat entschieden, dass Sollzinssätze bei Verbraucherkrediten nur auf den tatsächlich bereitgestellten Kreditbetrag angewendet werden dürfen – nicht auf mitfinanzierte Kreditkosten wie Versicherungsprämien oder Gebühren. Diese Klarstellung hat weitreichende Folgen für Kreditgeber in der gesamten EU, die ihre Produktgestaltung, Preislogik und Kundenunterlagen entsprechend anpassen müssen. Besonders betroffen sind Banken und Anbieter von

The FCA's Director of Consumer Finance outlines an ambitious vision for modernising the UK's 50-year-old consumer credit regime through the Financial Services and Markets Bill. This transformation requires collaboration across industry stakeholders to create a flexible, outcomes-focused framework that accommodates emerging technologies like AI whilst maintaining robust consumer protections.

The Technology and Construction Court's decision in Mulalley v Sto Ltd provides crucial guidance on quantifying contribution claims against cladding manufacturers in post-Grenfell litigation. The ruling demonstrates how the Building Safety Act 2022 enables parent companies to be held liable for their associates' defective products, with the court ordering an 87.5% contribution from the manufacturer for misleading marketing and supplying inherently defective cladding systems.

Hull City Council's seizure of over 1,000 counterfeit "Squeezy Dumplings" toys containing the carcinogen benzene highlights the critical intellectual property and product safety challenges facing brand owners and retailers. This incident demonstrates how counterfeit goods can damage both consumer safety and brand reputation, while exploring the legal remedies and proactive measures available to combat the growing threat of unsafe imitations in the novelty toy market.

The European Union Ecolabel represents a voluntary certification system that evaluates products across their entire lifecycle, from raw material extraction to end-of-life disposal. As the EU transitions toward a circular economy model, this world-renowned label helps distinguish credible environmental claims from misleading ones through transparent, independently verified standards.

On 19 August 2026 the CMA launched three further investigations under the DMCC Act consumer protection regime over concerns that consumers were not shown the total price upfront when buying train tickets, holidays or driving lessons.

Romanian regulators are intensifying enforcement of influencer marketing rules, particularly for health-related products. Recent decisions reveal that even creators with modest followings may be classified...

The Financial Ombudsman Service has announced the next phase of its service reforms, introducing changes that will impact how financial disputes are handled and resolved. These reforms represent a significant shift in the organization's approach to consumer complaints and case management.