ABSTRACT
The Consumer Protection Co-operation (CPC) Regulation will fundamentally improve the effectiveness and consistency of enforcement of consumer protection legislation across Europe. Prior to the CPC, diverse enforcement systems operated within Europe. With the increased use of e-commerce across the world and cheaper ways of travelling around Europe and beyond than ever before, consumers are able to benefit from increased choice and competition when purchasing goods and services. In the United Kingdom, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and trading standards services are long established as the main public bodies enforcing consumer protection legislation. Crucially for the OFT and its counterparts, the CPC Regulation also tackles the barriers to effective co-operation between national enforcement authorities when dealing with traders targeting consumers across internal European Union (EU) borders, through the internet, by direct mail, telephone or other methods. National consumer protection authorities across the EU face significant challenges to turn into a reality the ideas contained within the CPC Regulation.
