A Fair Deal for Consumers / Monitoring Consumer Markets

In January 2008, the Commission launched its, “Consumer Markets Scoreboard” to investigate how well various markets are serving customers across the EU.  First, the Scoreboard team screens consumer markets before focusing the spotlight more closely on those which are suspected of malfunctioning.

The Scoreboard looks at five top-level indicators to identify malfunctioning consumer markets that need further analysis. These are:

• Prices
• Complaints
• Switching Rates
• Satisfaction
• Safety

Any irregularities which may indicate practices that distort customer choice and hinder competition can trigger a targeted investigation and corrective action.

In-depth market specific analyses will be carried out in the relevant sectors, addressing the reasons behind failure and suggesting appropriate policy measures. The Scoreboard will also track progress in retail market integration and benchmark the national consumer markets and policies.

Since 2010, the Consumer Markets Scoreboard has been published twice a year.

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