European Commission launches public consultation on the distance marketing of financial services

For that purpose, the European Commission has launched a public consultation inviting all relevant stakeholders – including consumers – to express their views on the relevance, pertinence and effectiveness of the Directive concerning distance marketing of consumer financial services (Directive 2002/65/EC). The feedback period ends on 2 July.

This public consultation was launched 17 years after the Directive was first adopted and aims to assess whether it is still fit for purpose given today’s market, where financial services have gone increasingly digital, as well as whether it is still coherent with other European Union legislation applicable to these services (for instance the directives on consumer credit, mortgage credit or payment services).

The Directive on the distance marketing of financial services aimed to ensure the free movement of financial services by harmonising consumer protection rules in the single market. This Directive specifically:

• provides details on the information that a consumer should receive about a financial service and the financial service provider before concluding a distance contract;

• gives a consumer 14 days to withdraw from a contract in case of certain financial services;

• bans services and communications from suppliers that a consumer has neither solicited nor consented to.

Public consultation procedure

You can contribute to this consultation by filling in the online questionnaire on the European Commission’s website by 2 July 2019.