Recent developments of the European Union institutions: the role of the consumer policy advisory group

The study addresses the problematics of the recent foundation of the Advisory Group on Consumer Protection Policy on 22 December 2020, the first meeting of which took place on 21 February 2021. Pursuant to the launching by the European Commission of the New Consumer Protection Agenda, the Commission's Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (DG JUST) intended to set up an expert group, namely the "Consumer Policy Advisory Group", whose structure will bring together representatives of consumer organizations, civil society and industry, with the main mission of assisting the European Commission in a future implementation of the Consumer Protection Agenda from 2021-2022 on. It will provide expert advice on the implementation of the consumer protection agenda, both in terms of public policy, as well as on the 22 types of concrete actions in key areas of consumer policy. The paper underlines the main competences of the newly-established group of experts, which will suggest operational actions to the European Commission in terms of the implementing the high-level priorities set out in the New Consumer Agenda as input into the yearly priorities which were discussed at the annual Consumer Summit. Consequently, the CPA Group will contribute to the monitoring by the European Commission of the implementation of annual operational actions posterior to the conclusion of the annual Consumer Summit and will assertively assist European Commission services in the preparation and the implementation of legislative and non-legislative actions delivering on the priorities of the New Consumer Agenda. Nonetheless, the CPA Group is determined to foster exchange of experiences and good practices on the areas of the New Consumer Agenda, thus contributing to the fortifying of the actioning capacity of consumer organisations and to the intensifying of the latter's progress.