Promoting consumer interest

Lack of law or difficulties in its enforcemnt give an incentive to the 'black ships' on the market. Some companies are then tempted to unfair commercial pracitices, which affect consumer welfare. Consumers should be thus provided with adequate instruments and information in the decision-making process. The OECD Committee on Consumer Policy guides its Member economies in the development of policies and use of legal and non-legal instruments aimed at promoting consumer interest.

Key issues:

Dispute resolution and redress I  Awareness and education  I  Product safety

Fostering the development of effective, low cost ways for consumers to resolve their disputes and obtain monetary compensation is a key consumer policy objective. Currently, consumers are facing difficulties in enforcing their rights. This is particularly true in the cross-border context, where the obstacles to receiving resolution and redress are even greater.The OECD Committee on Consumer Policy has been working on dispute resolution and redress for a number of years.

Recommendation on Consumer Dispute Resolution and Redress (2007)

Report on the implementation of the 2003 OECD Guidelines for Protecting Consumers from Fraudulent and Deceptive Commercial Practices Across Borders (2006)

Report on Consumer Dispute Resolution and Redress in the Global Marketplace (2006)

Consumer Dispute Resolution and Redress in the Global Marketplace- An OECD Workshop (2005)

Guidelines for Protecting Consumers from Fraudulent and Deceptive Commercial Practices Across Borders (2003)

Resolving E-commerce Disputes Online: Asking the Right Questions about Alternative Dispute Resolution (2004)

Legal Provisions Related to Business-to-Consumer Alternative Dispute Resolution in Relation to Privacy and Consumer Protection (2002)

Consumers today are challenged by growing amounts of information and wider choices of products. To make good choices in increasingly complex markets, they must become aware of their rights and obligations on the marketplace. The OECD Committee on Consumer Policy is, thus, examinig consumer policies and is developing guidances and recommendations towards improved consumer awareness.

Consumer Education: Policy Recommendations of the OECD's Committee on Consumer Policy (2009)

Promoting consumer education: Trends, Policies and good Practices (2008)

Joint Conference on Consumer Education (2008)

The Interface between Competition and Consumer Policies (2008)

Report on the Roundtable on Economics for Consumer Policy (2007)

Report on the Roundtable on Demand-Side Economics for Consumer Policy (2006)

Report on OECD Member Countries’ Approaches to Consumer Contracts (2006)

Consumer policy considerations on the importance of accurate and available WHOIS data (2003)

Health and consumer safety are at the heart of consumer policy. The increasing number of unsafe products, particulary for children, requires rigoruos legislation and better enforcement. This is especially prominent for the more sophisticated products of which parts are produced and traded globally. Therefore, the OECD Committee on Consumer Policy renewed its work on this emerging issue.

Roundtable on consumer product safety (2008)

Summary report on the Roundtable on consumer product safety (2008)

Analytical report on consumer product safety (2008)

Compliance of the responses to the 2008 Questionnaire (2008)

Decision-Recommendation on the OECD Notification System on Consumer Safety Measures (1989)