End Users

The End Users Working Group (EU WG) focuses on promoting consumer choice and empowerment by developing policies that assist consumers in making better-informed choices and ensure access to electronic communications services for all, regardless their skills and impairment. The EU WG aims to reinforce the practical implementation of consumers’ rights, identifying and disseminating best practices among members of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). The EU WG fosters consistency in the application of the EECC, ensuring that directly or indirectly, consumers benefit from simpler and better contractual relations with their providers in order to receive quality electronic communications services. 

Working Group Co-chairs

Marina Ljubić Karanović

HAKOM, Croatia

Indre Jurgelioniene

RRT, Lithuania

Work in 2026

In 2026, the EU WG will continue working on related topics, based on the BEREC Work Programme 2026.

BEREC report on switching and termination of contracts

In November 2022, a joint workshop between BEREC and the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) was organized, where, among other things, the switching process was discussed, which also means the procedure for terminating the contract with the existing operator. A transparent and secure switching process contributes to market competition and strengthens the right of end users to choose the services that best suit their wishes and needs at a given moment. Various challenges were identified in this procedure, especially related to service interruption, compensation for delays and loss of service together with problems in switching bundled services.

BEREC believes that it would be worthwhile to identify the problems that still persist among the Member States, bearing in mind the provisions of the EECC that will be in force for a longer period, as well as the best solutions implemented among Member States. The report will focus on the national implementation of the measures provided for by Article 106 of the EECC and, among other things, will cover issues related to the details and the timing of the switching and porting processes, porting-failures and switching processes for bundles.

BEREC-BEUC Joint workshop on end-user rights

The BEREC-BEUC joint workshop held in 2025 provided an opportunity to bring together regulatory bodies and civil society organisations, especially consumer organisations, to discuss all aspects that can potentially impact European consumers in a rapidly developing digital environment. It covered the potential effects of consumer-relevant elements such as quality of service, coverage, information, and marketing practices. By engaging in this comprehensive discussion, the workshop sought to identify actionable insights and policy recommendations or legislative changes, especially taking into account the BEREC Opinion on Article 123 and EC views on the review of Title III of Part III on end user rights, which can empower consumers and strengthen their position in the digital marketplace. A summary report will be published.

Workshop and Report on practices for ensuring equivalence of access and choice with respect to accessibility

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) aims to harmonise accessibility requirements for products and services by eliminating and preventing barriers to the free movement of certain accessible products and services. While the BEREC workshop on end user rights from April 2024 proved to be a valuable forum for sharing views and concerns related to accessibility, further focus of BEREC on the matter is crucial to prepare for the implementation of the requirements stemming from the EAA. BEREC plans to organise a workshop that could serve as an initial step to the report.

The report itself would build on the work done by BEREC in 2015, 2017 and, most recently, in 2022, resulting in the BEREC Report on measures on equivalent access and choice for disabled end-users, in which information from national regulatory authorities (NRAs) was collated with the aim of creating an inventory of measures and initiatives for NRAs to have in place, ensuring equivalence of access. The report aims to identify the measures in place throughout the Member States for meeting the accessibility requirements established in the EECC and in the EAA. BEREC may also seek input from key stakeholders regarding any measures provided under other relevant consumer legislation.

Why is this important?

The electronic communications sector is highly dynamic, evolving rapidly with the introduction of new digital services and innovative ways to use them daily. Streaming platforms and various NI-ICS are increasingly merging with traditional electronic communications, blurring the boundaries between service categories. Therefore, it is essential to consider these developments with regard to end-user protection. Well informed end-users use different types of services and expect a certain quality of user experience, simplicity in contracting and using the services, security of personal data and quick change of operator with effective resolution of potential problems. Throughout all aspects, it needs to be ensured that transparent information is available and end users have simple switching processes at hand. This calls for strengthening consumer protection in our future work to a high-level, particularly making information accessible.

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