The Council of Europe has contributed to enhance the standards of consumer protection throughout Europe before the advent of consumer law and policy on Community level.

In its Resolution 543 of 17 May 1973 on a Consumer Protection Charter the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe issued the first political statement on consumer policy on European level.

Some of the conventions adopted by the CoE (but not always ratified by its member states) have influenced EC and national legislation on consumer protection. Namely the Convention of products liability in regard of personal injury and death of 27 January 1977 (ETS 91) and the European Convention on transfrontier television of 15 March 1989 as amended by the Protocol amending the Convention of 1 October 1998 (ETS 132 and 171) have paved the way for successive Community legislation (Directive 85/374/EEC and Directive 89/552/EEC). The Convention on the liability of hotel-keepers concerning the property of their guests of 17 December 1962 (ETS 41) is probably the first piece of European law ever that deals with the protection of the consumer. Among its recent activities, those concerned with the information society and from this the regulation of data processing and flow across borders and the protection of privacy are most closely related to this essential part of consumer policy.

Though the range of its law is limited, the CoE (with currently 43 member states) reaches beyond the boundaries of today's EU, and therefore plays a role in the run-up to accession. The Community is required by Article 303 EC Treaty to "establish all appropriate forms of co-operation with the Council of Europe", which makes it necessary to take into account, within its scope, the Council of Europe's approach toward consumer protection.