Transparency and Comparability in the Retail Market Report

Introduction

The CEER report examines how information provided to consumers supports informed decision-making in increasingly complex energy markets.

Context and Purpose

Retail energy markets across Europe are evolving with new products, dynamic pricing and bundled services. While these developments increase choice and flexibility, they also add complexity for consumers.

Ensuring access to clear, accurate and comparable information is essential for active participation and effective competition. Transparency and comparability are therefore key elements of well-functioning retail markets and consumer empowerment.

The report assesses current practices across CEER member countries, identifies key challenges affecting comparability, and highlights good practices to improve consumer outcomes.

Key Findings

While many countries have introduced tools to improve transparency, differences remain in how information is presented to consumers.

Price comparison tools are widely used, but vary in scope, governance and functionality. At the same time, increasingly complex offers make comparison more difficult.

The findings underline that:

• Transparency and comparability are essential for consumer engagement and trust.
• Differences in information presentation can limit effective comparison.
• Price comparison tools play a central role but are not always consistent.
• More complex products create new challenges for consumers.
• Clear, standardised and accessible information remains crucial.

Recommendations

The report highlights good practices and sets out considerations to enhance transparency and comparability across retail markets.

These include improving the clarity and standardisation of key information, strengthening comparison tools, and ensuring that regulatory frameworks remain responsive to innovation and evolving consumer needs.