U.Di.Con. APS Unione per la Difesa dei Consumatori
Udicon
U.Di.Con. is an Italian association protecting the rights and health of consumers and users.
Lobbying Activity
Response to Report on the review of the Digital Decade Policy Programme
19 Dec 2025
U.Di.Con. urges EU to regulate influencers and creators
18 Dec 2025
Message — U.Di.Con. demands that the new rules include influencers and content creators to ensure commercial transparency. They also call for harmonized digital tools to resolve disputes with streaming platforms and social media.12
Why — A targeted regulatory update would provide consumers with stronger, more uniform legal protection.3
Impact — Online creators would lose their unregulated status and face new qualification requirements.4
U.Di.Con. urges clearer origin rules to protect consumer choices
28 Nov 2025
Message — U.Di.Con. demands a clear regulatory framework ensuring the origin of goods is transparent and easily understandable. They call for verifiable supply chain traceability to combat deceptive marketing practices.12
Why — Strengthening these rules empowers consumers with better information while reducing administrative costs through harmonized standards.34
Impact — Producers using misleading branding lose the ability to deceive consumers through 'Italian Sounding' practices.5
Italian consumer group U.Di.Con. demands stronger postal service protections
13 Nov 2025
Message — U.Di.Con. advocates for preserving universal service obligations and establishing binding minimum quality standards across the EU. They propose a mandatory dispute resolution system and a single European platform for delivery complaints.123
Why — This would ensure consistent service quality and provide consumers with simpler paths to redress.45
Consumer group U.Di.Con. calls for affordable circular products
6 Nov 2025
Message — U.Di.Con. requests a unified European labeling system and product passports to ensure transparency. They demand financial incentives like reduced VAT and repair bonuses to make circular products affordable.12
Why — Clearer labeling and reduced prices would lower economic barriers for consumers choosing sustainable products.34
Meeting with Vincenzo Matano (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto) and FERROVIE DELLO STATO ITALIANE S.p.A. and
14 Oct 2025 · Presentation of Consumers’ Forum and exchange of views on upcoming initiatives on consumer protection
U.Di.Con. demands consumer protection be central to energy security
10 Oct 2025
Topic — This consultation seeks to update the EU's energy security framework for a decarbonized system.
Message — U.Di.Con. proposes mandatory national safeguard plans and a European price shock mechanism. They want energy security treated as a common good ensuring social resilience for households.12
Why — The organization's members would benefit from subsidized stabilization funds and guaranteed energy access.3
Impact — Industrial sectors lose their current dominance in emergency planning to prioritize individual households.4
U.Di.Con. advocates for harmonized digital car emission labels
9 Oct 2025
U.Di.Con. demands affordable electricity and social safeguards for consumers
7 Oct 2025
Message — U.Di.Con. proposes a European social safeguard clause to protect vulnerable households from rising costs. They prioritize investment in energy storage to ensure electricity is cheaper than fossil fuels. They also request the structural removal of non-energy charges from electricity bills.123
Impact — Governments and utility providers would lose revenue from non-energy levies removed from bills.6
U.Di.Con. demands affordable and just European heating strategy
7 Oct 2025
Message — The group demands measures to fight energy poverty and ensure transparent pricing. They want easier self-production of energy and accessible financing for home renovations. The strategy should prioritize consumer rights through independent advice and qualified assistance.12
Why — This would lower household energy bills and provide protection against market price volatility.3
Impact — Opaque energy providers may lose profits due to stricter tariff regulations and transparency.4
U.Di.Con. demands more consumer control over digital gatekeepers
22 Sept 2025
Message — U.Di.Con. calls for rebalancing relationships with gatekeepers to promote transparency and trust. Consumers should be able to easily uninstall pre-installed apps and change default settings. They advocate for constant monitoring of obligations to ensure data protection and portability.12
Why — The proposal would grant consumers greater autonomy and reduce restrictions imposed by manufacturers.3
Impact — Dominant tech platforms lose their concentrated power and ability to dictate user choices.4
U.Di.Con. urges EU action for affordable and non-speculative housing
17 Sept 2025
Message — They support common European standards to ensure fair access and transparency. They recommend decentralizing workplaces and redeveloping existing areas to reduce costs. They advocate for digitalization and modern techniques to eliminate bureaucracy.123
Why — Lower housing prices would significantly increase the purchasing power of consumers.4
Impact — Property speculators face losses as the strategy combats speculative building practices.5
U.Di.Con. urges EU action to combat rising energy poverty
10 Sept 2025
Message — U.Di.Con. requests financial aid for vulnerable citizens and standardized energy laws across all EU countries. They also demand education programs to help consumers navigate newly liberalized markets.123
Why — Empowering consumer groups would provide U.Di.Con. with more authority and political weight in Europe.4
Impact — Legacy energy monopolies lose their captive customer base as consumers become more educated and active.5
U.Di.Con. urges mandatory EU-wide digital justice for consumers
29 Aug 2025
Message — U.Di.Con. proposes a mandatory, fully digital European justice system for small claims to protect consumers from non-EU operators. They also call for harmonized laws and increased financial support to empower consumer associations.123
U.Di.Con. urges technical ban on digital identity spoofing
19 Jun 2025
Topic — This consultation addresses revising the EU Cybersecurity Act and its certification framework.
Message — The association demands protection against scams involving simulated corporate and personal identities. They call for technical measures to stop spoofing, which allows fraudsters to impersonate banks. Communication architectures should be redesigned to make phone number theft impossible.123
Impact — Telecom operators would incur costs to redesign their technical communication architectures.6
U.Di.Con. urges EU to standardize airfares and hand luggage rules
6 Jun 2025
Message — U.Di.Con. calls for transparent price breakdowns and mandatory EU-wide standards for hand luggage dimensions. They also advocate for certified email complaint channels to replace inefficient web forms.12
Why — Standardized rules would allow consumers to compare prices easily and exercise their refund rights.34
Impact — Airlines relying on hidden fees and complex baggage rules would lose extra revenue.5
Consumer group U.Di.Con. demands EU action against AI fraud
4 Jun 2025
Message — The organization proposes using AI to eliminate identity spoofing and phone fraud targeting citizens. They also call for a public European system to distinguish human content from artificial deepfakes.12
Why — This would reduce financial losses for consumers by preventing sophisticated digital scams.3
Impact — Cybercriminals and scammers lose the technological loopholes they exploit to defraud citizens.4
U.Di.Con. urges incentives for repairing leaking water infrastructure
3 Mar 2025
Message — The group calls for financial incentives to improve water infrastructure and reduce leaks. They also advocate for hydraulic engineering to mitigate risks from floods and landslides.12
Why — Infrastructure improvements would prevent citizens from losing water access during extreme droughts.3
Italian consumer group urges EU to boost medicine production
26 Feb 2025
Message — U.Di.Con. requests economic incentives for EU-based manufacturers to increase domestic production of critical drugs. They also propose regulating exports to third countries and launching campaigns to prevent medicine misuse.123
Impact — Pharmaceutical exporters would lose revenue from potential restrictions on selling to non-EU markets.6
U.Di.Con. demands structural EU measures to protect energy consumers
13 Nov 2024
Message — The group demands stronger price limits and rules to stop speculators from driving up costs during crises. They want the EU to manage energy buying and storage collectively to ensure supply independence. They also call for clear labels to help people identify real renewable energy offers.123
Why — Stable energy prices would protect households from inflation and preserve their purchasing power.45
U.Di.Con. Urges Energy Renovation Loans Prioritize Vulnerable Households
30 Oct 2024
Topic — The consultation concerns a framework to increase lending volumes for building energy renovations.
Message — The group wants loans prioritized for social housing and condominiums rather than luxury properties. They suggest allowing renters to access credit and simplifying bureaucratic procedures for minor irregularities. Additionally, they propose a registry for contractors and paying them only after client approval.123
Why — Low-income consumers would gain access to affordable credit and protection from fraudulent contractors.45
U.Di.Con. demands tech giants pay for European network infrastructure
14 Jun 2024
Message — The organization calls for big digital players to contribute fairly to network costs through a fair share mechanism. They also demand mandatory rural investments and technical designs that prevent identity spoofing.123
Why — Consumers would benefit from lower bills and high-quality digital services across the entire territory.45
U.Di.Con. urges car labels to include maintenance costs
10 Apr 2024
Topic — Evaluation of EU directive ensuring consumers receive accurate car fuel consumption information.
Message — U.Di.Con. requests labels show pollution standards and maintenance cost indices. They also demand verification of manufacturers' fuel data to prevent unrealistic performance claims.123
Why — Comprehensive data would help consumers avoid unexpected repair bills and local driving restrictions.45
Response to Proposal for a Directive on cross-border activities of associations
29 Mar 2024