Consumer Focus Event 2026

The Consumer Focus Event 2026 took place on Wednesday, 20 May 2026, at the CEER Offices in Brussels and online, bringing together energy regulators, policymakers, consumer associations, academics, and industry representatives from across Europe.

This year's conference, titled "Fostering Consumer Engagement: Transparency, Trust and Information", explored how energy markets can better support and empower consumers at a time of significant market transformation — driven by geopolitics, digitalisation, and the push for decarbonisation.

The event covered three interconnected themes.
On information, discussions highlighted that despite years of regulatory effort, many Europeans remain poorly informed about their energy contracts and options — and that well-targeted, standardised information can be a powerful driver of consumer engagement.
On trust, participants examined unfair commercial practices in distance selling and the regulatory tools needed to combat them, including lessons from the Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) and new research from the Florence School of Regulation (FSR) on emerging challenges in innovative energy services.
On transparency, a newly published CEER report on the comparability of energy contracts was presented alongside practical experience from national regulators and industry on price comparison tools, flexible tariff products, and the needs of vulnerable consumers.

A recurring message throughout the day was that trust between consumers and the energy system must be actively built - through clear information, meaningful protections, and tools that work for everyone, not just the most engaged.

The reports referenced during the event are available here:

• FSR Study on A study on the Relevance of Consumer Rights and Protections in the Context of Innovative Energyrelated Services
• CEER Report on Transparency and Comparability in the Retail Market