{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2014-254/article-4",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2014-254/article-4.json",
  "legislation": "eur/2014/254",
  "legislation_title": "Regulation (EU) No 254/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on a multiannual consumer programme for the years 2014-20 and repealing Decision No 1926/2006/EC",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2014-254",
  "path": "article/4",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "4",
  "heading": "Eligible actions",
  "text": "The specific objectives referred to in Article 3 shall be achieved by means of the eligible actions set out in the following list:\n(a) under objective I — Safety:\n(1) scientific advice and risk analysis relevant to consumer health and safety regarding non-food products and services including support for the tasks of the independent scientific committees established by Commission Decision 2008/721/EC;\n(2) coordination of market surveillance and enforcement actions on product safety with regard to Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, and actions to improve consumer services safety;\n(3) maintenance and further development of databases on cosmetics;\n(b) under objective II — Consumer information and education, and support to consumer organisations:\n(4) building and improving access to the evidence base for policy-making in areas affecting consumers, for designing smart and targeted regulations and for detecting any market malfunctioning or changes in consumers’ needs, providing a basis for the development of consumer policy, for the identification of the areas most problematic for consumers and for the integration of consumer interests into other Union policies;\n(5) support through financing of Union-level consumer organisations and through capacity building for consumer organisations at Union, national and regional level, increasing transparency and stepping up exchanges of best practices and expertise;\n(6) enhancing the transparency of consumer markets and consumer information, ensuring consumers have comparable, reliable and easily accessible data, including for cross-border cases, to help them compare not only prices, but also quality and sustainability of goods and services;\n(7) enhancing consumer education as a life-long process, with a particular focus on vulnerable consumers;\n(c) under objective III — Rights and redress:\n(8) preparation by the Commission of consumer protection legislation and other regulatory initiatives, monitoring the transposition by Member States and the subsequent evaluation of its impact, and the promotion of co-regulatory and self-regulatory initiatives and monitoring the real impact of those initiatives on consumer markets;\n(9) facilitating access to dispute resolution mechanisms for consumers, in particular to alternative dispute resolution schemes, including through a Union-wide online system and the networking of national alternative dispute resolution entities, paying specific attention to adequate measures for vulnerable consumers’ needs and rights; monitoring of the functioning and the effectiveness of dispute resolution mechanisms for consumers, including through the development and maintenance of relevant IT tools, and the exchange of current best practices and experience in the Member States;\n(d) under objective IV — Enforcement:\n(10) coordination of surveillance and enforcement actions with regard to Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council;\n(11) financial contributions for joint actions with public or non-profit bodies constituting Union networks which provide information and assistance to consumers to help them exercise their rights and obtain access to appropriate dispute resolution, including out of court online resolution schemes (the European Consumer Centres Network).\nWhere applicable, the eligible actions set out in the first paragraph of this Article are further specified in Annex I by listing under them specific actions.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "Commission Decision No 2008/721/EC of 5 August 2008 setting up an advisory structure of Scientific Committees and experts in the field of consumer safety, public health and the environment and repealing Decision 2004/210/EC (OJ L 241, 10.9.2008, p. 21)."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f2",
      "text": "Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 December 2001 on general product safety (OJ L 11, 15.1.2002, p. 4)."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f3",
      "text": "Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 October 2004 on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protections laws (OJ L 364, 9.12.2004, p. 1)."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2014/254/article/4",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T14:47:53.188560+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}