PRESS RELEASE

9 May 2020

This year’s Europe Day on the 9th of May commemorates 70 years since the Schuman Declaration. Normally a joyous occasion, in 2020, along with everything else in our lives at the moment, it is being overshadowed by the Coronavirus pandemic, and its tragic consequences for many lives and on economies across the European Union.

Also this year, the European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net) celebrates 15 years of existence, and this May 2020, due to the unprecedented disruption to travel, tourism and shipping, its busiest month on record. Now more than ever, consumer rights, including cross-border EU consumer rights are extremely important. 

Over the last two months we’ve received an exceptional volume of consumer queries as passengers all over Europe are faced with cancelled services or were stranded due COVID-19 restrictions in various affected areas. We received many queries related mostly to passenger travel culminating in a record 17,600 at the end of April, almost twice as many compared to the same period last year. Over time, since its inception, ECC-Net has assisted over 1,000,000 consumers.

We continue to respond to questions and complaints relating mostly to cancelled flights, accommodation providers, package holidays and various associated travel services, and, as a network, we are doing our utmost to help consumers resolve their travel and cancellation reimbursement issues.

The European Consumer Centre Ireland team is working hard to resolve all queries received and liaises with its colleagues in its partner offices across the European Union, 150 legal experts at your service during this crisis, providing free advice and assistance in claiming your consumer rights.

We also monitor the new Coronavirus-related legislative changes in connection to tourism and travel services, whereby various national governments have introduced new rules of reimbursement for cancelled events and other services. We share the latest updates on these and more through our network, websites and communication channels, ensuring that all European consumers remain informed and know where to seek help in relation to their consumer complaints.

We at ECC Ireland remain at your service during this difficult time, and are contactable via our page here. Keep up to date on your consumer rights by visiting our website, eccireland.ie and follow us on Twitter for the latest consumer news and updates.

Learn more about your consumers rights here:

Read our latest consumer updates here:

• How to make an effective consumer complaint

• How to claim your air passenger rights

• COVID-19: New National Legislative Measures in selected European Union countries

This press release was funded by the European Union’s Consumer Programme (2014-2020). The content of this press release represents the views of the author only and it is his/her sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the European Commission and/or the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (CHAFEA) or any other body of the European Union. The European Commission and the Agency do not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.