ANEC is an international non-profit association established under Belgian law with a central secretariat in Brussels, Belgium. We are recognised by the European Commission and EFTA Secretariat, and are a full member of the Commission’s Consumer Policy Advisory Group (CPAG) and an observer in the Committee on Standards (CoS). We are also a member of several EC consultative committees and numerous expert groups, including the Commission’s High-Level Forum on Standardisation (HLFS). ANEC has signed the European Transparency Register (No. 507800799-30) and abides by its Code of Conduct.

The representation of consumers in European standardisation is a public interest activity, and the representative European association is appointed only after regular public calls for tender. It is an activity dependent upon European public funding. Hence ANEC is financed by the European Union (95%) and EFTA (5%) as an “Annex III Organisation” under Regulation (EU) 1025/2012.

In 2023, the core budget of ANEC totals 1,57M€. The participation of our unsalaried experts is considered by the European Commission and EFTA Secretariat as a contribution in kind. In 2022, the ANEC Secretariat calculated the value of this contribution to be 620.000€. ANEC also derives further income from projects relevant to its scope.

ANEC Strategy 

In 2021, the ANEC General Assembly adopted the ANEC Vision and Mission 2030, comprising five Strategic Objectives as follows:

ANEC’s vision 2030 is to achieve, principally through legislation and standards,

  1. a Europe where consumers can make choices which are sustainable, both for their welfare and the environment;
  2. a Europe where the safety, security and well-being of consumers is ensured in both traditional and digital environments;
  3. a Europe where use of products and services does not discriminate among consumers;
  4. a Europe where its values and principles are upheld in a globalised world;
  5. a Europe where the engagement of consumers at national and European level is welcomed and supported, politically and financially.

The Vision is a collective Vision that ANEC holds for the countries of its membership, and which ANEC intends to achieve through actions at the European level, and within countries that have adopted the EU acquis.

ANEC’s mission is to raise standards for European consumers through the work of our members, experts and Secretariat, in order to achieve optimal levels of consumer protection, welfare and sustainability.