An “EU sweep” is a joint EU investigation and enforcement action to check for compliance with consumer laws on a particular market in order to see where consumer rights are being compromised or denied. National enforcement authorities then follow up on these findings, contacting the non-compliant companies and demanding that they come into line with the relevant requirements. Legal action can be taken against operators who violate EU consumer law.
On the 16th of September 2010, EU Consumer Commissioner John Dalli announced the results of the second phase of the the sweep targeting websites selling electronic goods, such as mobile phones, digital cameras and personal music players. 84% of the websites checked for breach of EU consumer rules now comply with EU laws compared with only 44% in 2009 when the initial check was done.
The “sweep” investigation was launched in May 2009 and carried out by national authorities in 26 member states, Norway and Iceland. The problems identified included misleading information on consumer rights, incorrect prices and missing contact details of the trader. These sites have now been corrected and penalties have been imposed where necessary.