From the Treaties of Rome to the digital era: the progressive development of consumer protection in the European Union

Abstract

The aim of the work was to establish the main stages of development and characteristic changes in the legal framework for consumer protection in the European Union (EU). The study used the historical–legal method (for periodization of the evolution of consumer law), case studies (for analysis of judicial practice), the statistical method (for assessment of the dynamics of digitalization of consumer relations based on data), and the method of normative modelling (for substantiation of directions for improving legal regulation). A systematic analysis of the evolution of legal regulation of consumer rights protection in the EU in the period 1957–2026 was carried out, which enabled identifying six consecutive stages of development—from an implicit market-oriented model to a complex digitally adaptive system. It was established that the institutionalization of consumer policy began in the 1970s, and its consolidation in primary law occurred after 1992, with the subsequent definition of harmonization as a key mechanism for ensuring a high level of protection. It is proven that the model of minimum harmonization of the 1990s provided only a partial elimination of market imbalances and was accompanied by fragmentation of the legal space, which led to the transition to full harmonization and further systemic integration of norms in the 2000–10s. It is found that the current stage (2019–26) is characterized by the expansion of regulatory influence on the digital environment, the integration of product safety requirements, and the strengthening of market surveillance mechanisms, which indicates the transformation of consumer law into a complex supranational system.