1. Consumer Education in the EU
Fostering youth attention to their consumer rights?
A common challenge
Marie-Paule Benassi, Acting Director for Consumer Affairs, DG JUST
Prague, 19 November 2018

2. Consumer Education an important part of consumer law enforcement!
Consumers have to play their part to ensure their rights are respected:
Public authorities cannot control all businesses, all the more in an economy that is more and more digitalised and thus open to foreign traders
Consumers need to be proactive and seek a solution with traders when something goes wrong
Traders need to understand that they have empowered consumers in front of them
People need to report on consumer issues to improve policies

3. Legal background of EU Consumer Education
Art 169 TFEU: In order to promote the interests of consumers and to ensure a high level of consumer protection, the Union shall contribute to protecting the health, safety and economic interests of consumers, as well as to promoting their right to information, education and to organise themselves in order to safeguard their interests.
Both the Consumer Agenda and the Consumer Programme aim to support consumers throughout their lives by, inter alia, informing and educating them.

4. Interactive platform funded by the EU Exchange of good practices
Interactive platform funded by the EU
Exchange of good practices
Distribution of consumer education material among teachers and other professionals
12-18 years old students
Different subjects and topics
Material on digital education
New media technologies and sustainable consumption

5. For teachers and other professionals
Taster tour on website to show you around
Training videos
Fact sheets on consumer issues
Lesson plans
Frequently asked Questions
Consumer Champion - Skills Building Program for Consumer Specialists in Europe

6. Key facts and figures
Unique users:  out of which from Europe
Registered users (teachers, experts): 54,817 out of which 26 856 teachers
1 217 ready-to-use teaching resources collected from across the EU and evaluated by our network of national focal points

7. EU added value Web community of teachers from Europe and beyond
24 languages ​​(including lesson plans, presentations, videos, tests)
Promotion of cross-curricular and interdisciplinary projects in all EU Member States
Inter-School competitions
School partnerships
Partnerships with consumer organizations and other NGOs

8. What next for EU Consumer Education?
Authoritative voice on Consumer Education on the Internet
Increase awareness of pupils/adolescents
Responsibility of our future consumers both at national and European level
More networking with extracurricular partners (consumer ministries, consumer organisations ...)

9. Consumer campaign 2019 – Know your rights
EU-wide campaign on consumer rights with a specific focus on 10 Member States. The objective is to create a coherent communication approach on consumer rights and to:
Inform citizens about their rights and the role of EU in ensuring these (awareness)
Inspire consumers to use them (action)

10. Consumers lie at the heart of the post-2020 MFF
Funding of awareness raising campaigns to boost consumer protection with a special focus on:
- enforcement of consumer rights
- online fraud
- more sustainable consumption choices
Focus on the protection of vulnerable consumers
Continuation of the joint funding of the European Consumer Centres and capacity building of consumer organisations at EU-level

11. Thank you for your attention