Europe Day 2023, on the 9th of May, marks the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration of 1950 and the creation of the European Union. Europe Day 2023 in Ireland also celebrates the 50th anniversary of Ireland’s EU membership.

EU membership has transformed consumer rights in Ireland to date. Consumer rights in the European Union were at the heart of European legislation from the very beginning, and have served European consumers everywhere on the basis of the five original fundamental consumer principles: the right to health and safety, the right to protection of consumer economic interests, the right to compensation, the right to information and education, the right to representation. 

Since its accession to the EU on the 1st of January 1973, Ireland’s citizens, as consumers, have benefited from an array of legal instruments such as:

• Air passenger rights 
• Package holidays 
• Online shopping 
• Unfair commercial practices 
• Product guarantees and returns 
• Pricing and payments

The European Union’s consumer law regulations and directives have made purchasing goods and services safer for Irish consumers across the EU and between Members States. Consumers have the right to clear and correct information about goods or services before making online purchases. There is a requirement for a ‘CE’ conformity mark on many products, indicating the manufacturer’s compliance with safety standards. Future rules will be implemented giving citizens details about a product’s durability, reparability, and environmental impact. Misleading advertising and unfair commercial practices such as aggressive sales tactics, false claims, and misleading information are prohibited, as well as advertising targeted at children. Food labelling is also required to include nutrition and origin details for processed and unprocessed foods, as well as allergens. The EU has also ensured the safety of cosmetic products and banned animal testing for cosmetics. The liberalisation of the communications market has given consumers better choices for Internet and telecoms providers. The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) protects consumers from unsafe food products and enables the swift withdrawal of dangerous non-food products from the market. The EU-wide Online Dispute Resolution platform provides a one-stop-shop for resolving disputes over online purchases for Irish consumers. Finally, nearly 30 years ago, the European Commission created the first incarnation of the ‘European Consumer Centres’, which were later unified into a collaborative ‘Network’.