Europe: Consumer Protection

HM Treasury has unveiled comprehensive reforms to the Consumer Credit Act 1974, marking the most significant overhaul of consumer credit regulation in decades.

HM Treasury has published its Policy Statement on reform of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (CCA), setting out the planned policy direction following the Phase 1 consultation which closed in July 2025. The statement confirms the intention to repeal many provisions of the CCA, recasting these within the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) Handbook (though not necessarily as a direct copy-out). 

The UK government has announced significant reforms to the Consumer Credit Act 1974, scrapping the phase two consultation and moving forward with changes that will remove automatic unenforceability sanctions while shifting many prescriptive requirements from statute to FCA rules.

You may remember that in November last year, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a 'major consumer protection' enforcement drive targeting eight businesses over concerns about price transparency.

In its annual plan for 2026-2027, published in March, the CMA said it would focus consumer enforcement on the clearest and most serious harms, including terms that are obviously imbalanced or unfair.

Une décision qui doit interpeller tous les opérateurs de plateformes « hybrides » qui agissent en tant que vendeur sur leurs propres interfaces.

Joaquín Fernández, asociado senior en la práctica de litigación de seguros, ADR y arbitraje, analiza en este video las implicaciones de la nueva Directiva Europea de Responsabilidad por Producto Defectuos...

Local food authorities wield significant investigative powers when it comes to food safety violations, resulting in hundreds of business prosecutions annually.

The Product Liability Directive EU 2024/2853 introduces sweeping changes to Irish product liability law, expanding definitions to include software and digital products, introducing new categories of compensable damage, and establishing rebuttable presumptions that shift the burden of proof. How will these modernized protections impact Irish businesses operating in technology, medical devices, and digital services sectors as they navigate increased compliance obligations and extended liability exposure?

The European Union's Package Travel Directive, in force since 2018, has undergone significant revision following systemic failures exposed by the Thomas Cook collapse and COVID-19 pandemic. The amended framework introduces strengthened refund mechanisms, harmonised voucher rules, enhanced insolvency protection, and clearer cancellation rights to address gaps that left millions of travelers vulnerable during major disruptions.

The UK has introduced sweeping consumer protection laws that directly impact optical practices, with the Competition and Markets Authority now wielding unprecedented enforcement powers including fines up to 10% of global turnover.

Turkey's parliament has adopted sweeping amendments to the Soil Conservation and Land Use Act that impose unprecedented restrictions on the alcohol industry, including comprehensive bans on sponsorship, promotion, and brand-stretching...