These are the rights Spanish people enjoy when travelling abroad within the European Union

Many people choose the festive season to travel, enjoying the festive season in a different culture or seeing out the year in another country.

Due to the high volume of EU tourists travelling through Europe at this time of the year the European Commission has published a ten-step guide to help EU citizens enjoy the festive season in any EU country in a responsible and safe way.

The first recommendation focuses on consumer rights and warns that under EU legislation all products purchased in any EU can be returned, without explanation, within 14 calendar days of receipt or purchase. The seller, upon receipt of the returned product, must refund the money within 14 days at the latest. Consumers also have two months to inform the seller of any defects or problems with the product, not forgetting that in the EU, all products are guaranteed for a minimum of two years.

When people are travelling, all EU citizens have the right to travel freely throughout the 27 countries of the European Union, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, which are members of the Schengen area. This freedom of movement means that a valid passport or national identity card (DNI in Spain) is sufficient to visit any of these destinations.

In the case of travelling with pets, EU rules allow citizens to travel to another EU country, Norway and Northern Ireland with a dog, cat or ferret. To do so, they must have a clearly legible microchip or tattoo, be vaccinated against rabies, have been treated for tapeworm and carry a valid EU pet passport.

Passenger rights

As a passenger, the European Commission states that in the event of cancellation of a ticket, whether by air, rail, bus or package, EU citizens have the right to reimbursement. This can be in the form of a refund or a voucher redeemable at another time, provided that the traveller agrees. The Commission has recently presented a proposal for a revision of the Passenger Rights Regulations. For example, in the case of a travel package, it proposes that advance payments for travel packages at the time of booking be limited to a maximum of 25% of the price up to 28 days before departure and that reimbursement be made within a maximum of 14 days.

To prevent any surprises on phone bills, the European Commission points out that EU citizens benefit from the new roaming rules, which state that they can call, text and surf the web in other EU countries at no extra cost. In this regard, it pointed out that in 2022 the new Roaming Regulation came into force, which guarantees a better experience, with the same quality of mobile service abroad as in the country of origin. "The new rules also improve access to emergency communications across the EU and ensure clear information on services that may incur additional charges," it said. In addition, the Commission insists that digital content can be enjoyed in any EU country without additional costs and with the same conditions as in the EU country where subscribed.

In the event of an emergency, the European Commission advises calling 112, which can be dialled free of charge from EU landlines and mobile phones to contact the emergency services, and using the European Health Insurance Card if treatment is needed. With it, European citizens are entitled to the same healthcare as nationals of the EU country they are in. It is easy to apply online and is usually delivered to the person's home within a week.

It is common that when people do searches to plan their holidays, advertisements from large online platforms start to pop up repeatedly. The new Digital Services Act ensures that users can clearly and easily report illegal content, goods or services. This also applies to profile-based advertising. The law also includes a ban on personalised advertising for minors or advertising based on certain personal data such as ethnicity, political opinions or sexual orientation.

Responsible consumption

When discovering European culture and gastronomy, EU citizens should be aware that Europe has a rich cultural and gastronomic heritage, with a wide variety of foods and beverages that carry the European quality label, such as those that are part of the Protected Geographical Indications.

The European Commission recommends buying what is essential and avoid waste, stating that in the EU around 20% of the food purchased is wasted. In addition, each EU citizen throws away around 11 kilos of clothing per year, which increases the amount of waste produced. In order to prevent the generation of electronic waste, the European Union has recently adopted legislation which will ensure that, by the end of 2024, users will be able to use a single charger for small, newly purchased portable electronic devices. This will prevent 11,000 tonnes of waste. The Commission has also recently proposed new common rules promoting product repair. The aim is to ensure that more products are repaired within the legal guarantee and that consumers have simpler and cheaper options for repairing products.