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Consumer protection is a major objective for the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, ESMA, EIOPA) and under the auspices of the Joint Committee, they continue to place this high on their agenda for 2013. The aim of the event was to provide a forum for exchange and discussion on important and current cross-sectoral consumer issues.
The Joint Consumer Protection Day attracted around 250 consumer representatives, academics, legal and financial consultants, national supervisors, experts from the EU institutions and financial services industry (banking, securities, insurance and pensions).
In his opening speech Gabriel Bernardino, Chairman of EIOPA and the current Joint Committee Chair, called for regulatory consistency across the three financial sectors and urged the application of sound conduct of business practices by market participants. He also spoke about the emergence of a new paradigm on transparency and fairness towards consumers. "In order to regain trust and confidence by consumers, financial institutions need to develop simpler and more understandable products, devote further attention to the fairness of contractual conditions and definitely they need to review the charges and commissions applied ensuring that they are not disproportionate", he said.
During the panel discussion on PRIPs (proposal for a ‘Regulation on key information documents for investment products') participants discussed the scope of the proposal together with considerations as to personalising the so-called Key Information Document enabling comparison between covered products (e.g. by including national information on tax implications). The importance of behavioural finance in product disclosure was also addressed and views were shared on which kind of information consumers generally need in order to take informed decisions on whether to buy or not to buy a product.
Different break-out sessions on consumer trends, sales incentives and product intervention were held. In this respect, the panellists discussing consumer trends agreed that the ESAs need enhanced data collection powers to ensure data of quality with a view to continuously collect, analyse and report on consumer trends. The usefulness of comparison websites and payment protection instruments, two current trends in some of the financial sectors, was highlighted whilst focus was given to the consumer detriment also surrounding these types of distribution channels and instruments.
On the topic of sales incentives, it was felt that in order to avoid mis-selling of financial products, several changes in sales culture are urgently required.
On product intervention, participants debated whether these powers would have the most value as a ‘threat' in influencing firms to act in the best interests of their clients, and that product intervention should be seen in the round, as part of product design, product governance, and product distribution in order to address consumer protection issues before and up to point of sale, rather than playing catch-up after products hit the market.