Consumer Congress 2026: Time for effective enforcement of the law, not more regulation
The Consumer Congress 2026, organized by the Federacja Konsumentów, clearly showed that the debate on consumer protection is entering a new stage. Today, it is no longer about how many regulations we create, but whether we are able to enforce them effectively. The Digital Poland Association was a strategic partner of the event.
“An informed consumer is a value for the market — it raises the quality of services and strengthens fair competition. Today, building real trust is also key. If a product enters the market, the consumer should be sure that it meets specific standards,” emphasized Michał Kanownik during the opening debate.
Enforcement Instead of New Regulations
One of the strongest conclusions of the Congress was that the problem is not the lack of law, but its enforcement. In a situation where some entities — especially Asian platforms — do not comply with existing regulations, adding more rules does not bring results. This leads to real distortions of competition and undermines trust in the entire system — participants of the discussions during the Congress agreed.
Participants of the debates pointed out that Europe already has a wide set of tools — from digital regulations to customs law — which are not fully used. Today, the key is their practical implementation and consistent application.
A strong call was also made for greater regulatory predictability. The market needs clear rules, stability, and a transparent division of competences between institutions. Without this, even the best-designed regulations lose their effectiveness — participants stressed.
The discussion around the planned EU Digital Fairness Act showed that the challenge today is designing law that works in practice — especially in areas such as dark patterns. Regulations must be not only ambitious, but above all workable.
AI and the Consumer — Between Transparency and Usability
One of the most important topics was the role of artificial intelligence in the consumer relationship. The consumer has the right to know when they are interacting with an algorithm — transparency is the foundation of trust.
At the same time, participants emphasized that regulations must be proportionate. An excess of mandatory labels may lead to “warning fatigue,” which reduces their real value. The key is to find a balance between user protection and usability of solutions — experts pointed out.
It is also increasingly clear that the future of customer service is a hybrid model — AI supports fast and simple processes, while humans take over more complex cases. As speakers indicated, ensuring smooth cooperation and continuity of the user experience is crucial.
Green Claims: Between Marketing and Responsibility Towards the Consumer
In the discussion on green claims, it was indicated that from the consumer’s perspective, what matters is not the intention of the brand, but how the message is actually understood. Participants of the discussion led by Dominik Dobek, Programme Director at the Digital Poland Association, emphasized that environmental claims should be clear, specific, and based on verifiable evidence.
Particular attention was paid to the risks associated with general ecological slogans and with transferring individual actions or product features to the image of the entire company. Panelists indicated that for building consumer trust, transparency, precision of language, and the ability to properly present the scope of a given action or commitment are becoming increasingly important.
It was also highlighted that the line between acceptable marketing simplification and a potentially misleading message can be very thin, especially in the area of environmental communication. The discussion also stressed that responsible communication should take into account not only companies’ image goals, but also the real right of consumers to reliable and understandable information.
Participants in the discussions included Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Rafał Rosiński, Vice President of UOKiK Daniel Mańkowski, Deputy President of UODO Konrad Komornicki, as well as Chair of the parliamentary committee on digitalisation, innovation and modern technologies Bartłomiej Pejo. The technology sector was represented, among others, by companies such as Zalando, Google and Booking.com.