History, mission and values of ECC-Net
The European Consumer Centres network (ECC-Net) was established in 2005 following the merger of the European Extra-Judicial Network (EEJ-Net, the EU network for the extra-judicial settlement of consumer disputes) and the European Consumer Infocentres network (Euroguichet, the European consumer information centres). ECCs are managed by government bodies or NPOs in the relevant countries and are co-financed by the European Union. They are an excellent example of collaboration at both national and EU level.
ECC-Net comprises 29 consumer centres: one in every EU member state, one in Norway and one in Iceland. And there is a partner organisation in the UK with whom we can share cases against UK traders.
In 2024, ECC-Net handled 133 677 queries from consumers. ECC Belgium handled 12.247 requests from consumers. For more information on our Belgian statistics, please have a look at our annual report.
The mission of the ECC-Net was quite specific from the outset
The network of 29 European Consumer Centres (ECCs) empowers consumers to know their rights and to take full advantage of the opportunities the Single Market offers.
How we accomplish our mission?
The ECC-Net‘s legal experts assist consumers to solve their cross-border problems free of charge by providing strong legal expertise.
The network offers a unique overview and reliable information about consumer affairs in the Internal Market which can be used for policy making in collaboration with European and national stakeholders.
Cooperation
Successful cooperation with all kind of stakeholders in the European Union is key for ECC-Net. Collaboration with traders, business federations, national and European authorities, consumer organisations, alternative dispute resolution bodies, educational institutions, fraud fighters, Inspection services and many other stakeholders is paramount in order to deliver on our mission. As a network we have been specifically focusing on this over the past few years as a network.
Stakeholders that are interested in a collaboration with ECC Belgium or with the network can reach out to [email protected].
Our values
Working professionally to reach amicable solutions while ensuring transparency, impartiality and confidentiality for consumers and traders.
Quality Charter
ECC-Net follows a quality charter for our services to consumers.
More information on ECC-Net
The network has a website with publications on network level, events, reports etc. You can also find all the addresses of the ECC’s in the network and the collaboration with stakeholders. Have a look at www.eccnet.eu.
