Legal risks
Withdrawal-button penalties: the regime across the 27 EU countries
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The withdrawal button sits within a European framework, completed by the national rules applicable in the consumer’s country. What does a business that has not put it in place risk? Penalties are not harmonised: each member state sets its own authority, procedure and scale. For widespread cross-border infringements, the Omnibus Directive provides a ceiling that can reach 4% of annual turnover. This page presents the common framework and the differences across all 27 member states.
In brief
A business is exposed to the enforcement and penalty rules in each customer’s country. Amounts and remedies differ by member state; for widespread cross-border infringements, the Omnibus framework provides a ceiling that can reach 4% of annual turnover. The table below presents all 27 regimes, without treating one national example as an EU-wide rule.
National enforcement
Varies by country
Each member state sets its own enforcement route and penalty scale. For widespread, cross-border infringements, the EU Omnibus framework provides a ceiling that can reach 4% of annual turnover.
Extended period
12 months and 14 days
Instead of 14 days. An automatic extension harmonised EU-wide (Directive 2011/83/EU, art. 10). Every sale remains challengeable for more than a year.
Civil remedies
Combinable
An individual claim by the consumer, and a representative action brought by a qualified consumer body on behalf of affected consumers.
How national enforcement works
Each member state organises enforcement through its own competent authorities and procedures. A case can be triggered by a consumer complaint, a sector inspection or an action by a consumer body. The competent authority, court or body is determined by the law of the consumer’s country.
- 1Finding. The relevant body identifies the absence or non-compliance of the withdrawal button.
- 2Procedure. The national route may require corrective action, administrative proceedings or court action.
- 3Decision. Any sanction or remedy follows the national rules applicable to that customer.
How to become compliant
Becoming compliant does not require any bespoke development. Three steps:
- •Install a compliant button: use an unambiguous label required by the law of the consumer’s country, keep it permanently accessible on every page and free of charge for the consumer.
- •Generate an acknowledgement of receipt on a durable medium (an email with a timestamp and a reference number).
- •Keep archived requests with a timestamp and a hash (typically SHA-256) so you can prove compliance in the event of an inspection.
- •Update your terms and conditions with the mandatory pre-contractual information required by the Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU). The terms-and-conditions wording generator produces a tailored clause in five minutes, with no sign-up.
BackToMe provides the first three building blocks in a five-minute install, with no developer, for 25 € ex. VAT per month per site. The terms-and-conditions wording is generated free of charge via the dedicated tool. The trial is free for 7 days: 0 € today, 30-day money-back guarantee.
Penalties across the 27 member states
The obligation arises from the directive (UE) 2023/2673, but each state sets ITS OWN penalty regime: a fixed ceiling, a percentage of turnover, or a criminal fine. Since the applicable law is that of the consumer's country (règlement (CE) n°593/2008 (« Rome I »), art. 6), it is the regulator of the buyer's country that enforces. The status below records the national measures referenced in this table. For a concrete sale or enforcement question, the national law of the consumer’s country remains the relevant source.
| Country | Regulator | Regime | Penalty incurred | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
FranceIn force | DGCCRFDirection générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes | Fixed ceiling | up to €75,000 (legal person) | text |
GermanyIn force | BfJBundesamt für Justiz (application ordinaire civile via associations de consommateurs) | Mixed (ceiling + % of turnover) | up to 4 % of annual turnover or €2,000,000 | text |
AustriaDeferred | BezirksverwaltungsbehördeBezirksverwaltungsbehörde (autorité administrative de district) ; VKI pour l’action civile | Mixed (ceiling + % of turnover) | up to 4 % of annual turnover or €1,450 | text |
BelgiumTransposition under way | Inspection économiqueSPF Économie, Direction générale de l’Inspection économique | Mixed (ceiling + % of turnover) | up to 4 % of annual turnover or €80,000 | text |
BulgariaTransposition under way | КЗПКомисия за защита на потребителите (Commission for Consumer Protection) | Mixed (ceiling + % of turnover) | up to 4 % of annual turnover or BGN 5,000 | text |
CyprusTransposition under way | Consumer Protection ServiceΥπηρεσία Προστασίας Καταναλωτή (Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry) | % of turnover | up to 5 % of annual turnover or €200,000 | text |
CroatiaIn force | DIRHDržavni inspektorat Republike Hrvatske | Mixed (ceiling + % of turnover) | up to 4 % of annual turnover or €50,000 | text |
DenmarkIn force | ForbrugerombudsmandenForbrugerombudsmanden (Consumer Ombudsman) ; secrétariat Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen | Criminal fine (court) | Fine set by a court under national law | text |
SpainTransposition under way | DG ConsumoDirección General de Consumo (sanction souvent régionale, Comunidades Autónomas) | Fixed ceiling | up to 4 % of annual turnover or €1,000,000 | text |
EstoniaDeferred | TTJATarbijakaitse ja Tehnilise Järelevalve Amet | Mixed (ceiling + % of turnover) | up to 4 % of annual turnover or €400,000 | text |
FinlandIn force | KKVKilpailu- ja kuluttajavirasto / Kuluttaja-asiamies | % of turnover | up to 4 % of annual turnover | text |
GreeceTransposition under way | ΔΙΜΕΑΓενική Γραμματεία Εμπορίου και Προστασίας Καταναλωτή / ΔΙΜΕΑ | Mixed (ceiling + % of turnover) | up to 4 % of annual turnover or €1,500,000 | text |
HungaryIn force | Fogyasztóvédelmi hatóságFogyasztóvédelmi hatóság (vármegyei/fővárosi kormányhivatalok) | Mixed (ceiling + % of turnover) | up to 5 % of annual turnover or HUF 650,000,000 | text |
IrelandTransposition under way | CCPCCompetition and Consumer Protection Commission | Mixed (ceiling + % of turnover) | up to 4 % of annual turnover or €60,000 | text |
ItalyIn force | AGCMAutorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato | Fixed ceiling | up to €10,000,000 (legal person) | text |
LatviaTransposition under way | PTACPatērētāju tiesību aizsardzības centrs | % of turnover | up to 4 % of annual turnover or €300,000 | text |
LithuaniaIn force | VVTATValstybinė vartotojų teisių apsaugos tarnyba | % of turnover | up to 3 % of annual turnover | text |
LuxembourgTransposition under way | Protection des consommateursDirection de la protection des consommateurs (pas de régulateur administratif dédié ; voie judiciaire) | Mixed (ceiling + % of turnover) | up to 4 % of annual turnover or €120,000 | text |
MaltaIn force | MCCAAMalta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority, Office for Consumer Affairs | Fixed ceiling | up to €47,000 (legal person) | text |
NetherlandsTransposition under way | ACMAutoriteit Consument & Markt | Mixed (ceiling + % of turnover) | up to 1 % of annual turnover or €900,000 | text |
PolandTransposition under way | UOKiKUrząd Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentów | % of turnover | up to 10 % of annual turnover | text |
PortugalTransposition under way | ASAEAutoridade de Segurança Alimentar e Económica (+ Direção-Geral do Consumidor) | Fixed ceiling | up to €44,892 (legal person) | text |
RomaniaIn force | ANPCAutoritatea Națională pentru Protecția Consumatorilor | Mixed (ceiling + % of turnover) | up to 4 % of annual turnover or RON 50,000 | text |
SlovakiaIn force | SOISlovenská obchodná inšpekcia | % of turnover | up to 2 % of annual turnover or €200,000 | text |
SloveniaTransposition under way | TIRSTržni inšpektorat Republike Slovenije | Mixed (ceiling + % of turnover) | up to 4 % of annual turnover or €5,000 | text |
SwedenIn force | Konsumentverket / KOKonsumentverket (Swedish Consumer Agency) / Konsumentombudsmannen | % of turnover | up to 4 % of annual turnover | text |
CzechiaTransposition under way | ČOIČeská obchodní inspekce | Mixed (ceiling + % of turnover) | up to 4 % of annual turnover or CZK 5,000,000 | text |
Comparison compiled from the national measures and official sources available across the 27 member states (updated 28 July 2026). Penalties and enforcement remain governed by the law and competent bodies in the consumer’s country.
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