BEREC-BEUC joint workshop on end-user rights

Together with BEUC, the European Consumer Organisation, BEREC is organising an external workshop on end-user rights on Wednesday, 15 October 2025. The workshop will start at 10:30 CET and takes place at the IRG Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium, with the possibility to join remotely.

Why it matters?

While digital innovation and competition among digital service providers have improved end-users’ empowerment, there is still an important role for regulators to play in ensuring consumer transparency and digital skills.

Promotion of full connectivity will trigger a demand for high-quality services on the part of consumers, provided by very high-capacity networks whose development is a key priority in creating positive interactions.

BEREC continues its work in promoting choice and empowerment for end-users, to enable and result in better-informed choices by consumers. The BEREC Opinion on the market and technological developments and on their impact on the application of rights of end-users in the EECC (Article 123) highlights the need for periodical experience exchange, which already has proven to be advantageous in ensuring end-user rights.

What to expect at the Workshop?

The joint Workshop will provide an opportunity to bring together regulatory bodies and civil society organisations, especially consumer organisations, to discuss aspects that can potentially impact European consumers in a rapidly developing digital environment. It will cover the potential effects of consumer-relevant elements such as the need for sectoral provision of end-user rights, contractual relationships, quality of service, coverage, information, and awareness-raising practices. By engaging in this comprehensive discussion, the Workshop seeks to identify actionable insights or legislative changes, especially taking into account the best practices that can empower consumers and strengthen their position in the digital marketplace.

The workshop is divided into four sessions.

Session 1: Panel discussion - The Case for Sectoral Legislation - Why Horizontal Consumer Law in Telecoms is Not Enough/Enough

General EU consumer law provides a baseline of protection. This panel will highlight views on sector-specific legislation in electronic communications, and whether it remains indispensable for safeguarding end-users’ rights in a fast-changing digital environment. Panellists will discuss the risks of simplification and deregulation and debate the balance between horizontal frameworks and targeted rules, drawing on experiences from regulators, consumer organisations, and industry.                                                      

Session 2: Contractual Terms - Beyond Minimum Transparency

Standard consumer contract rules fall short when applied to electronic communications. This session will examine contractual terms of electronic communications services and their impact on end-users. Participants will examine how obligations on clarity, adaptability, and fairness protect consumers from complex or one-sided terms, and how to ensure that changes to these safeguards would not weaken consumer choice and trust in the market.

Session 3: Quality of Service and Digital Inclusion - Protecting End-User Experience

Quality of service (QoS) obligations are essential to ensure all consumers can enjoy the right to high-quality connectivity. This session will discuss how sectoral rules are essential to bridge the digital divide, ensuring the participation of consumers in the digital society thanks to reliable, inclusive, and responsive connectivity. The discussion will underline the importance of transparency and accountability, without which end-users risk being left with inadequate information and poorer service in an increasingly digital society.

Session 4: Empowering Consumers - Why Awareness and Enforcement Require Sectoral Safeguards

Consumer awareness and enforcement are central to making rights meaningful. This session will provide views on how to empower consumers in electronic communications, ensuring they can make informed choices and that their rights are effectively upheld. Participants will discuss the importance of awareness-raising and robust enforcement mechanisms, which, combined, can grant the proper end-user protection, and how simplification and deregulation would risk undermining both. The discussion will highlight the shared responsibilities in creating a fair and transparent environment.

Information about the speakers and the agenda will be made available soon.

Registration

Register your interest in joining this external workshop by filling out the registration form below. Please note that due to the limited seat capacity at the IRG Secretariat, the registration for in-person participation is closing once the limit of 40 registrations is reached. Following that, registrations are possible only for online participation. The registration deadline for virtual participation is 10 October 2025.

The connection details will be shared with registered participants ahead of the workshop.

Please note: Due to possible demonstrations on 14 October 2025 in Brussels, traffic interruptions may occur. Please take this into consideration if you plan to join the workshop in person.

Contact

In case of questions related to organisational matters, please reach out to us via the following email: [email protected]

BEREC‘s work related to end-users

The BEREC End Users Working Group focuses on promoting consumer choice and empowerment by developing policies that assist consumers in making better-informed choices and ensure access to electronic communications services for all, regardless of their skills and impairment. The Group aims to reinforce the practical implementation of consumers’ rights, identifying and disseminating best practices among BEREC members. Moreover, they foster consistency in the application of the European Electronic Communications Code, ensuring that, directly or indirectly, consumers benefit from simpler and better contractual relations with their providers in order to receive quality electronic communications services.

Read more about the Group: BEREC End User Working Group, and on BEREC‘s work in the area of end-users.