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Internal Market Information System

News › Consumer Protection Cooperation in IMI

As of 17 January 2020, the Internal Market Information System (IMI) ensures that consumer protection cooperation between Member States is carried out electronically.

With IMI, Competent Authorities are able to:

  • Comply with their mutual assistance obligation (request for information, request for enforcement measures)
  • Issue alerts (including handling external alerts)
  • Launch coordinated actions

The new CPC Regulation provides a cooperation framework where national authorities from all Member States can jointly address breaches of EU law to protect consumers’ interests in cases where the trader and the consumer are based in different countries.

Facts and Figures

  • CPC is the 17th legal area supported by IMI.
  • This new policy area introduces 6 new modules and 11 forms in IMI.
  • IMI replaces yet another legacy system, setting the example for IT rationalisation: a single tool for multiple purposes.
  • All Member States registered a Single Liaison Office by the launch date. A further 122 competent authorities have also been registered for the new modules.
  • The new modules are available in all official languages of the EU.
  • The first requests were sent as soon as the modules were launched.

Legal acts related to the pilot project

  • Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/2212 of 20 December 2019 on a pilot project to implement certain administrative cooperation provisions set out in Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 of the European Parliament and of the Council on cooperation between authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws by means of the Internal Market Information System
  • Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/2213 of 20 December 2019 laying down the practical and operational arrangements for the functioning of the electronic database established pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 of the European Parliament and of the Council as respects certain communications under that Regulation

Access to IMI

Only registered users can access the Internal Market Information System (IMI).

IMI Training System

If you are new to IMI and you want to familiarise yourself with the system, you can use our training system.

To do so, you first need to register.

Not yet registered?

Your registration request has to be approved by a national IMI coordinator. Only competent authorities can request registration in IMI.