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All Member States collect data on consumer complaints because they are a key indicator of how the market is working for consumers.
The Commission wants to put complaints at the heart of policies affecting consumers both at the European and the national level.
The Commission has adopted a Communication on a harmonised methodology for classifying and reporting consumer complaints and
enquiries and an accompanying Staff working document presenting a draft harmonised methodology. Harmonisation will provide an EU-wide
picture of consumer problems and allow comparison between sectors and countries. This will in time connect the Commission to the day to day problems
faced by European consumers, putting them at the centre of the policy making cycle.
A public consultation on a draft harmonised methodology for classifying and reporting consumer complaints and enquiries is open until 05 October 2009.
Public consultation
Title: Harmonised methodology for classifying and reporting consumer complaints and enquiries
Policy field(s): Consumer affairs
Target group(s): All citizens, organisations and public authorities are welcome to contribute to this consultation. Contributions are particularly sought from third party complaint bodies handling consumer complaints such as public authorities, consumer organisations, regulators, complaint boards, ombudsmen and self-regulating bodies.
Period of consultation: From 07.07.2009 to 05.10.2009
Objective of the consultation: The aim of the consultation is to present a draft harmonised methodology for classifying and reporting consumer complaints and enquiries and to gather comments on how this can be improved in order to be taken up by the maximum number of consumer complaint bodies.
The Commission will publish all replies and a summary paper on the consumer affairs public consultation website. Please see the attached privacy statement  and the policy for the protection of personal data.
Contact details
Responsible service: DG Health and Consumer Affairs, Unit B1 – Consumer Markets
Contact person: Mr Akis Kyriacou
E-mail: SANCO-consumercomplaints@ec.europa.eu
Telephone: 0032 229 95403
Consumer complaints are a key indicator of the Consumer Markets Scoreboard in helping to identify failing markets from a consumer perspective.
In many Member States public authorities and other third party organisations, such as consumer organisations and regulatory bodies,
collect data on consumer complaints and use them as an indicator of market malfunctioning and subsequent policy action. Some countries collect data on
consumer complaints and use them as an information and analytical tool before launching market investigations and taking policy action.
However, the existing data are not suitable to facilitate benchmarking markets and making cross-country comparisons at a European level.
The data are not available in a comparable form and regular periodicity. The classification methodologies used by third-party bodies are not fundamentally
different since the goods and services available across Europe are largely the same. In 2008 Commission carried out a
public consultation
seeking stakeholders' views on developing a harmonised methodology for classifying and reporting consumer complaints across the European Union and the EEA.
The public consultation has attracted a strong response from a wide group of stakeholders with the majority being in favour of developing
a harmonised methodology for classifying and reporting consumer complaints addressed to third-parties around the EU and the EEA, under a voluntary system.
DG SANCO has established an expert group made up of representatives from various consumer complaints bodies such as Member States consumer
authorities, consumer organisations, European Consumer Centres, regulatory bodies and alternative dispute resolution bodies. The consumer complaints expert
group has assisted the Commission in developing a draft harmonised methodology for classifying and reporting consumer complaints addressed to
third-parties in the EU and the EEA under a voluntary system.
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