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Citizens' Voice - Consumer Advocacy Association

Acronym: Citizens' Voice

General Information

Identification Code: 892234752282-03
Website: [object Object]
Entity Form: Association
Registration Category: Non-governmental organisations, platforms and networks and similar
Registration Date: 12/15/2023
EP Accredited Number: 0

Mission & Interests

Goals: Established in 2021 in Portugal, Citizens' Voice is a non-profit consumer protection association focused on advocating for European Union consumers through research, advocacy, and education. We conduct in-depth studies on consumer behavior, producing reports and analyses that guide policymakers, legislators, and inform the public. Our advocacy efforts aim to influence consumer-friendly policies in courts, among legislators, and within businesses, voicing citizen concerns for balanced debates on key issues. As an educational entity, we disseminate consumer-related information through various channels, including our website. Additionally, we offer consumer defense services, supporting individual and collective consumer rights in dealings with businesses, policymakers, and legal proceedings.
Interests Represented: Does not represent commercial interests
Interests:
  • Banking and financial services
  • Business and industry
  • Competition
  • Consumers
  • Digital economy and society
  • Economy, finance and the euro
  • Environment
  • Food safety
  • Justice and fundamental rights
  • Public health
  • Trade
  • Transport
Levels of Interest:
  • national
  • european

Activities

Main EU Legislative Proposals: Citizens' Voice is a key advocate for consumer protection within the European Union, demonstrating its commitment through the integration of EU directives into Portugal's legislative fabric. The organization actively engages in a variety of initiatives and legislative processes, most notably in the transposition of the EU Directive 2020/1828. This directive, central to its mission, targets collective actions for the protection of consumer interests and is a significant stride in bolstering consumer rights throughout the European Union. In pursuit of these goals, Citizens' Voice is planning out a series of strategic actions, including educational campaigns and insightful conferences. These initiatives are specifically designed to address a host of critical issues within EU law. The organization's focus encompasses several key EU policies: 1. Unfair Commercial Practices: Addressing deceptive and unethical practices in the marketplace to ensure fair trading within the EU. 2. Unfair Business-to-Consumer Commercial Practices: Combatting imbalances in transactions between businesses and consumers in the EU. 3. Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts: Advocating for fairness in consumer contracts and challenging unjust conditions within the EU. 4. Consumer Rights: Upholding and promoting the fundamental rights of consumers across the European Union. 5. Common Rules for Air Services Operation in the Community: Enhancing Air Travel Consumer Protection. Citizens' Voice is advocating for improved consumer rights in air travel within the EU, focusing on the right to carry an unregistered handbag on flights without extra charges. This initiative aims to ensure that flight ticket prices include a handbag allowance, promoting transparency and convenience for travelers by eliminating hidden fees and simplifying the flying experience. Citizens' Voice's comprehensive approach exemplifies a deep commitment to multifaceted advocacy, influencing not just the enforcement of existing legislation but also the development of future consumer protection laws within the European Union. Their focus on these specific areas underscores their role in promoting a fair, transparent, and equitable market environment within the EU. By addressing these target policies, Citizens' Voice not only tackles immediate consumer concerns but also contributes to the long-term welfare and empowerment of consumers. Their actions highlight a dynamic and responsive approach to consumer protection, ensuring that consumer interests remain a central focus in the evolving economic and legal landscape of the European Union.
Communication Activities: Citizens' Voice has been a dynamic participant in conferences on consumer rights and competition law, hosted by esteemed Iberian law firms. Our organization has launched over 100 class actions based on breaches of European Union consumer law. A notable achievement includes successfully challenging Vodafone for imposing unjust charges on thousands of consumers for unsolicited services. We have also confronted airlines like Ryanair for competitive misconduct, including coercive tie selling and imposing extra fees for unregistered cabin luggage, violating passenger rights. Our advocacy also encompasses issues such as product labeling, price speculation, deceptive advertising, and unfair contract terms in standard agreements, along with consumer rights to product warranties. In these instances, we consistently push for cases to be referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for preliminary rulings, aiming to enhance the alignment of various directives across EU Member States. A significant milestone for Citizens' Voice was the establishment of Portugal’s first Third Party Litigation Funding firm, Justice4All, Lda. This venture financially backs some of our most notable legal actions, which are extensively publicized on our website and social media, garnering considerable media attention in Portugal, including prime-time TV features. Our proactive efforts extend to liaising with DG-FISMA and DG-Competition for access to documents regarding consumer rights, covering areas like telecommunications and financial products (Ref GestDem No 2022/2992). These initiatives are part of our broader strategy to influence EU policies, legislative proposals, or decisions related to a spectrum of directives, such as 2004/25/EC, 2005/29 EC, 2007/36/EC, 2014/17/EU, 2014/92/EU,2016/97/EU, and Article 107 TFEU. Looking ahead, Citizens' Voice is gearing up for various campaigns and conferences to tackle aspects of EU law including unfair commercial practices, unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices, unfair terms in consumer contracts, consumer rights, and common rules for air services operation in the Community. Our engagement demonstrates a holistic approach in advocating for consumer rights within the European Union framework. For more information on some of these initiatives, please visit: 1. Citizens' Voice on Class Actions, Third Party Litigation Funding, and Private Enforcement (https://citizensvoice.eu/2022/06/17/class-actions-third-party-litigation-funding-and-private-enforcement/) 2. Portuguese Parliament Directive (EU) 2020/1828 (https://www.parlamento.pt/ActividadeParlamentar/Paginas/DetalheIniciativa.aspx?BID=173028) 3. Competition, Consumer Protection, and Data Protection (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/uria-menendez_concorr%C3%AAncia-consumo-prote%C3%A7%C3%A3odados-activity-7117466487795167232-1dHZ/?trk=public_profile_like_view&originalSubdomain=pt)
Inter-institutional or Unofficial Groupings: N/A

Head Office

Address: Praceta 25 de Abril, 541 Esq. Sala 2
Post Code: 4430-257
City: Vila Nova de Gaia
Country: PORTUGAL
Phone: [object Object]

EU Office

Address: Praceta 25 de Abril, 541 Esq. Sala 2
Post Code: 4430-257
City: Vila Nova de Gaia
Country: PORTUGAL
Phone: [object Object]

Financial Data

New Organisation: false
Closed Year: [object Object]
Current Year: [object Object]
Complementary Information: In 2023, Citizens' Voice formed TPLF partnership with Justice4All, totaling €173k. This partnership is pivotal for the financial strategy of 2023-2025, considering the anticipated expenses from our 2022 actions. This includes deferred external service fees, integral to our strategic financial management and ensuring the longevity of our advocacy work. Our association operates on a wholly voluntary basis. All staff members contribute without monetary compensation. Our overhead costs are exceptionally low, fully covered by our board. This includes all expenses for our headquarters and other operational costs typically incurred by similar organizations. These are not just subsidized but entirely borne by the board, thus exempting the association from these financial burdens. Our offices and headquarters are located in rent-free facilities, with utility costs directly paid by the board members. Legal fees, primarily for consumer protection class actions, are our only significant expense. These are efficiently managed, either paid after the conclusion of legal proceedings or through third-party financing. In recent years, the association has not yet had to cover these costs. Costs for conference participation are borne by members themselves, and we primarily organize online events, further reducing expenses. Website and other similar costs are also directly covered by our management members. Given these operational specifics, it's clear why our estimated costs for interest representation activities are much lower than those of a typical organization. We lack regular staff salaries, office maintenance costs, and expenses for events, publications, and travel, all covered by our board. However, we foresee a gradual increase in expenses in the coming years due to planned conferences in various EU countries, although this hasn't been a significant cost factor in recent years.

Membership Information

Members10 Percent: 5
Members25 Percent: 6
Members50 Percent: 1
Members75 Percent: 2
Members: 14
Members F T E: 4
Info Members: It is imperative to highlight the unique operational ethos of our association: we function entirely on a voluntary model. This pivotal aspect means that none of our team members, spanning from administrative staff to executive leadership, receive salaries or any kind of financial compensation for their contributions. Each individual in our team is passionately committed to our mission, offering their time and expertise on a purely voluntary basis.

Structure

Structure Type: Structure
Organisation Members: Citizens' Voice serves as an extension of the ATM - Association of Investors and Technical Analysts of Capital Markets, focusing on the protection of non-investor consumers. Meanwhile, ATM is a full member of Better Finance.