European Parliament Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) is a standing committee of the European Parliament. It is responsible for the coordination of national legislation relating to the European single market and the customs union, the free movement of goods and services, technical standards, consumer rights, public procurement and aspects of digital-market regulation.

Responsibilities

The committee is responsible for legislation and scrutiny concerning the functioning of the internal market and the customs union. It works to identify and remove barriers to the free movement of goods and services and to promote and protect the economic interests of consumers, except in areas assigned to other committees such as public health and food safety.

Its remit includes:

the free movement of goods, including technical harmonisation and standardisation; the right of establishment and the freedom to provide services, except in the financial and postal sectors; the identification and removal of obstacles to the functioning of the internal market; the customs union and customs legislation; consumer protection, consumer information and consumer redress; product safety, market surveillance and conformity assessment; public procurement and concessions; professional qualifications and regulated professions; digital services, online marketplaces and platform responsibilities within its areas of competence; and relations with relevant EU bodies and agencies, including the European Union Intellectual Property Office where matters fall within the committee's remit.

Internal-market legislation

IMCO is one of Parliament's principal legislative committees for rules governing the European single market. It examines legislation intended to reduce barriers between national markets while preserving consumer protection, product safety and fair competition.

Its work has included legislation concerning the Services Directive, professional qualifications, public procurement, product compliance, mutual recognition of goods, market surveillance and the accessibility of products and services. It also follows implementation and enforcement of single-market rules by national authorities.

Consumer protection

The committee develops legislation on consumer rights, product safety, guarantees, contractual information and access to redress. Its responsibilities cover both physical and digital markets, including cross-border e-commerce and the sale of products through online marketplaces.

IMCO also scrutinises enforcement of consumer-protection rules and the safety of products imported into the European Union. The committee has established working groups and scrutiny activities concerning unsafe products sold through online platforms.

Digital single market

IMCO plays a major role in legislation concerning the digital single market. It has been responsible, jointly or as lead committee, for measures affecting online platforms, digital services, artificial intelligence, connected products and consumer protection in digital environments.

The committee was one of the lead committees for the Digital Services Act and has participated in parliamentary work on the Artificial Intelligence Act, platform accountability, online advertising, interoperability and digital-product safety.

Chairs

The following table lists the chairs of the committee since 2009.

Name Political group Member state Took office Left office Malcolm Harbour ECR United Kingdom 2009 2014 Vicky Ford ECR United Kingdom 2014 2017 Anneleen Van Bossuyt ECR Belgium 2017 2019 Petra De Sutter Greens/EFA Belgium 2019 2020 Anna Cavazzini Greens/EFA Germany 2020 Incumbent

Members

10th Parliament, 2024–2029

The committee currently has 52 full members. Its current composition is shown below, with the chair and vice-chairs indicated in italics.

European People's Party Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats European Conservatives and Reformists Renew Europe Christian Doleschal, Germany, Vice-Chair Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz, Poland, Vice-Chair Peter Agius, Malta Pablo Arias Echeverría, Spain Henrik Dahl, Denmark Dóra Dávid, Hungary Regina Doherty, Ireland Arba Kokalari, Sweden Andreas Schwab, Germany Tomislav Sokol, Croatia Dimitris Tsiodras, Greece Inese Vaidere, Latvia Adina Vălean, Romania Marion Walsmann, Germany Maria Grapini, Romania, Vice-Chair Alex Agius Saliba, Malta Laura Ballarín Cereza, Spain Katarina Barley, Germany Biljana Borzan, Croatia Adnan Dibrani, Sweden Elisabeth Grossmann, Austria Maria Guzenina, Finland Pierre Jouvet, France Christel Schaldemose, Denmark Georgia Tramacere, Italy Stefano Cavedagna, Italy Michał Dworczyk, Poland Piotr Müller, Poland Denis Nesci, Italy Gheorghe Piperea, Romania Reinis Pozņaks, Latvia Nikola Minchev, Bulgaria, Vice-Chair Jeannette Baljeu, Netherlands Sandro Gozi, France Svenja Hahn, Germany Anna-Maja Henriksson, Finland Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, Ireland Patriots for Europe Greens–European Free Alliance The Left Europe of Sovereign Nations Elisabeth Dieringer, Austria Klara Dostalova, Czechia Virginie Joron, France Jorge Martín Frías, Spain Ernő Schaller-Baross, Hungary Pál Szekeres, Hungary Anna Cavazzini, Germany, Chair David Cormand, France Katrin Langensiepen, Germany Kim van Sparrentak, Netherlands Leïla Chaibi, France Hanna Gedin, Sweden Arno Bausemer, Germany Petr Bystron, Germany Non-Inscrits Kateřina Konečná, Czechia

Substitute members

The committee's substitute members are listed below.

European People's Party Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats European Conservatives and Reformists Renew Europe Sebastião Bugalho, Portugal Andrzej Buła, Poland Pilar del Castillo Vera, Spain Zala Tomašič, Slovenia Salvatore De Meo, Italy Gheorghe Falcă, Romania Dirk Gotink, Netherlands Sophia Kircher, Austria Aura Salla, Finland Paulius Saudargas, Lithuania Susana Solís Pérez, Spain Sabine Verheyen, Germany Axel Voss, Germany Tomáš Zdechovský, Czechia Marc Angel, Luxembourg Brando Benifei, Italy Delara Burkhardt, Germany José Cepeda, Spain Johan Danielsson, Sweden Bruno Gonçalves, Portugal François Kalfon, France Marina Kaljurand, Estonia Idoia Mendia, Spain Tsvetelina Penkova, Bulgaria Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Poland Marlena Maląg, Poland Daniel Obajtek, Poland Daniele Polato, Italy Ivaylo Valchev, Bulgaria Mariateresa Vivaldini, Italy Kosma Złotowski, Poland Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Slovakia Ivars Ijabs, Latvia Morten Løkkegaard, Denmark Anna Stürgkh, Austria Yvan Verougstraete, Belgium Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, France Patriots for Europe Greens–European Free Alliance The Left Europe of Sovereign Nations Tomasz Buczek, Poland Jaroslav Bžoch, Czechia Sebastian Kruis, Netherlands Philippe Olivier, France Aldo Patriciello, Italy Tom Vandendriessche, Belgium Saskia Bricmont, Belgium Alexandra Geese, Germany Alice Bah Kuhnke, Sweden Reinier van Lanschot, Netherlands Luke Ming Flanagan, Ireland Gaetano Pedulla, Italy Mary Khan, Germany Rada Laykova, Bulgaria Non-Inscrits Judita Laššáková, Slovakia

Research support

The committee is supported by the European Parliament's research services and policy departments. These services provide studies, briefings and impact assessments on internal-market integration, consumer protection, public procurement, product safety, digital services and enforcement of single-market legislation.

Research prepared for the committee is published through Parliament's supporting-analyses database and the European Parliament Think Tank.

European Parliament Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

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