In today’s world, where cross-border shopping is becoming increasingly common, many of us find ourselves in frustrating situations. Goods ordered from a German, Italian or Spanish online store either fail to arrive, arrive defective, or the seller refuses to accept the complaint. The same can happen with an airline that cancels a flight and refuses to pay the statutory compensation, or with a hotel in Greece or a car rental company in Austria that fails to fulfil its obligations.
In such cross-border consumer disputes there is fortunately a strong European tool available ECC-Net, known in the Czech Republic as the European Consumer Centre (ESC). Evropské spotřebitelské centrum (ESC).
What is the European Consumer Centre (ECC-Net)?
ECC-Net is a Europe-wide network of 29 specialised centres supported by the European Commission. The Czech centre operates under the Czech Trade Inspection Authority and cooperates with partner centres in all EU Member States, Norway and Iceland.
Its mission is to provide consumers with free assistance in resolving disputes with traders from other EU countries. The centre not only explains your rights in detail, but also actively contacts the other party and seeks an out-of-court settlement. In 2024, ECC-Net assisted nearly 134,000 consumers and successfully resolved approximately 59 % of cases.
When is the European Consumer Centre not enough?
Although the ESC delivers excellent results in many cases, it has its limitations. It cannot conduct court proceedings, represent clients before foreign courts, or carry out enforcement. In more complex disputes, cases involving higher amounts, uncooperative traders, or when judicial enforcement is required, it is essential to engage a lawyer specialising in consumer law and private international law.
State-funded Legal Aid for Persons with Limited Financial Resources
For Czech citizens (or foreigners with specific residence status) facing such situations, significant support is available under the Act on the Provision of Legal Aid in Cross-Border Disputes within the European Union (implementing Directive 2003/8/EC). This legislation enables persons with insufficient financial means to obtain legal protection funded from public resources.
For a Czech consumer (or a foreigner living in Czechia), this means in practice that the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic reviews the application and forwards it to the competent authority in the country where the court proceedings are to take place (e.g. Germany, Italy, Spain or France). In that country, the client may then be granted legal representation by a lawyer or coverage of a substantial part of the legal costs in the dispute against the local trader. klientovi přiznáno právní zastoupení advokátem nebo úhrada podstatné části nákladů řízení ve sporu proti tamnímu podnikateli.
Do you want to effectively resolve your cross-border dispute?
Contact our law firm. As specialists in cross-border consumer law and enforcement within the EU, we will provide you with a qualified assessment of your case and propose the most suitable strategy.
The first consultation is non-binding and free of charge.
