European Union (Cooperation Between National Authorities Responsible for the Enforcement of Consumer Protection Laws) Regulations 2020.
Statutory Instruments
Source: Statutory Instruments

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paragraphs: (1) These Regulations may be cited as the European Union (Cooperation between National Authorities Responsible for the Enforcement of Consumer Protection Laws) Regulations 2020.
(2) These Regulations come into operation on 17 January 2020.
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paragraphs: (1) In these Regulations -
“Act of 2007” means the Consumer Protection Act 2007 (No. 19 of 2007);
“Council Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 20172 on co-operation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws and repealing Regulation (EC) No. 2006/2004;
“Commission” means the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
(2) A word or expression that is used in these Regulations and which is also used in the Council Regulation has, unless the context otherwise requires, the same meaning in these Regulations as it has in the Council Regulation.
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paragraphs: The Commission is designated as the single liaison office for the purposes of Article 5 of the Council Regulation.
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paragraphs: The public authority or public authorities, as the case may be, specified in column 4 of the Schedule at a particular reference number are designated as the competent authority or competent authorities under Article 5(1) of the Council Regulation for the enforcement of those laws that protect consumers’ interests specified in column 3 of the Schedule at that reference number.
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paragraphs: (1) For the purposes of investigations relating to the Council Regulation, the Commission shall have the investigation powers referred to in Article 9(3) of the Council Regulation.
(2) For the purpose of enforcement of the Council Regulation, the Commission shall have the enforcement powers referred to in Article 9(4)(a) to (h) of the Council Regulation.
(3) The Commission -
(a) shall have the power to start investigations or proceedings in accordance with Article 9(6) of the Council Regulation, and
(b) may publish any final decision, trader’s commitments or orders adopted pursuant to the Council Regulation in accordance with Article 9(7) of the Council Regulation.
(4) The powers referred to in paragraphs (1), (2) and (3) shall be exercised by the Commission in accordance with Article 10 of the Council Regulation.
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paragraphs: The European Consumer Centre Ireland is designated for the purpose of issuing alerts under Article 27 of the Council Regulation.
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paragraphs: (1) For the purposes of Article 9(4)(h) of the Council Regulation and the powers of enforcement conferred on the Commission under Regulation 5(2), a person who fails to comply with a decision, order, interim measure, trader’s commitment or other measure specified in Article -
(a) 9(4)(a),
(b) 9(4)(b),
(c) 9(4)(c),
(d) 9(4)(d),
(e) 9(4)(e),
(f) 9(4)(f), or
(g) 9(4)(g)(i) to (iii),
(2) Where a person commits an intra-Union infringement, a widespread infringement or a widespread infringement with a Union dimension relating to a national measure for which the Commission is designated as the competent authority under Article 5(1) of the Council Regulation, he or she commits an offence.
(3) For the purposes of paragraph (2) and Regulation 8(2), a “national measure” means the following:
(a) Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Part 3 and section 79 of the Act of 2007;
(b) European Communities (Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts) Regulations 1995 ( S.I. No. 27 of 1995 );
(c) European Communities (Requirements to Indicate Product Prices) Regulations 2002 ( S.I. No. 639 of 2002 );
(d) European Communities (Certain Aspects of the Sale of Consumer Goods and Associated Guarantees) Regulations 2003 ( S.I. No. 11 of 2003 );
(e) European Communities (Directive 2000/31/EC) Regulations 2003 ( S.I. No. 68 of 2003 );
(f) European Communities (Misleading and Comparative Marketing Communications) Regulations 2007 ( S.I. No. 774 of 2007 );
(g) European Union (Provision of Services) Regulations 2010 ( S.I. No. 533 of 2010 );
(h) European Union (Protection of Consumers in respect of timeshare, Long-term Holiday Product, Resale and Exchange Contracts) Regulations 2011 ( S.I. No. 73 of 2011 );
(i) European Union (Consumer Information, Cancellation and Other Rights) Regulations 2013 ( S.I. No. 484 of 2013 );
(j) European Union (Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes) Regulations 2015 ( S.I. No. 343 of 2015 );
(k) European Union (Online Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes) Regulations 2015 ( S.I. No. 500 of 2015 );
(l) European Union (Casual Trading Act 1995) Regulations 2018 ( S.I. No. 508 of 2018 );
(m) European Union (Unjustified Geo-blocking of Consumers) Regulations 2018 ( S.I. No. 513 of 2018 ).
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paragraphs: (1) A person who commits an offence under Regulation 7(1) shall be liable on summary conviction to a class A fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or to both.
(2) Where a person commits an offence under a national measure and, the offence concerned also constitutes an offence under Regulation 7(2), the penalty in respect of the second mentioned offence shall be the penalty specified in the national measure in respect of the first mentioned offence concerned.
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paragraphs: The Act of 2007 is amended -
(a) in section 90(1) -
(i) in paragraph (h), (inserted by the European Union (Unjustified Geo-blocking of Consumers) Regulations 2018 ( S.I. No. 513 of 2018 ) by the substitution of “… 2018);” for “… 2018).”, and
(ii) by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph (h):
“(i) any contravention of the European Union (Cooperation between National Authorities Responsible for the Enforcement of Consumer Protection Laws) Regulations 2020 ( S.I. No. 14 of 2020 ).”, and