As the European Union prepares its Consumer Agenda for 2025–2030, it faces a decisive moment: will it uphold the principle of consumer choice, or risk deepening exclusion under the banner of digital progress?
Over the past five years, the EU Consumer Agenda has guided important strides in consumer resilience, digital transformation, and green recovery. Yet, as we look ahead, one critical dimension remains insufficiently addressed: the right of consumers to choose how they access essential information. For millions of Europeans, particularly older adults, persons with disabilities, those in digitally underserved areas, and individuals concerned about privacy, paper-based communication is a necessity rooted in accessibility, security, and trust. At Keep Me Posted EU, we believe that a truly inclusive and fair EU Consumer Agenda 2025–2030 must explicitly recognise and protect consumers’ right to choose between digital and non-digital communications. Digital innovation should not come at the cost of individual autonomy, safety, or choice. Instead, the future of consumer policy must be built on three core pillars: inclusion, informed consent, and trust.
Why Choice Matters
The EU’s ambition to lead in green and digital transitions must not overlook those who remain on the margins of digital life. Whether by necessity or preference, many consumers still rely on physical mail to receive bank statements, contracts, bills, and legal information. They should not face additional fees, be subject to automatic digital enrolment, or risk losing access to vital services. In a context of increasing cybercrime and identity theft, consumer trust is at stake, too.
Accessible digital options can and should coexist with secure non-digital alternatives. This is not a question of resisting change, but of embracing a future where sustainability includes human dignity, where innovation respects individual realities and fosters trust.
Mind the Digital Gap
Digital exclusion is a reality affecting millions across the EU. As institutions and services transition to digital-first models, a growing number of citizens are being left behind by circumstances.
Older adults’ vulnerability and increasing exclusion are particularly arising from greater longevity, frailty and cognitive impairments. Around 44% of individuals aged 65 and over are digitally excluded. This group faces challenges such as digital literacy barriers, vision impairments, or simply preferring the reliability and familiarity of paper communication. Wherever possible, a human interface should be available to assist service users in difficulties.
Persons with disabilities also encounter significant obstacles. Many digital platforms remain inaccessible due to poor contrast, the absence of alternative text, and difficult navigation structures, making it harder for individuals with visual, motor, or cognitive impairments to access essential information.
Residents of digitally underserved areas continue to face systematic barriers. Between 20–22% of rural households experience internet connectivity issues, compared to just 8–10% in urban regions. This persistent digital divide disproportionately disadvantages rural communities, many of which already struggle with depopulation, limited access to public services, and economic vulnerability.
As a result, millions are effectively locked out of vital digital services through no fault of their own. In this context, certain deliveries, whether to remote rural areas or densely populated urban zones, are often deemed economically unviable by service providers. Consequently, residents in these locations risk being excluded from essential delivery services simply because they are no longer offered. This highlights the need to reassess the definition of a marginalised consumer. A recent study recommends developing a more inclusive understanding of consumer vulnerability one that includes natural persons (i.e. individual human beings, as opposed to legal entities such as companies) who are temporarily or permanently hindered from fully accessing postal services due to physical or mental disabilities, geographical isolation, digital illiteracy, or financial hardship. Moreover, 23% say that the digitalisation of daily public and private services is making their life more difficult. Only 43% of Privacy-conscious EU consumers believe their digital rights are adequately protected, underscoring a growing trust deficit in online communication systems.
These diverse groups make up a significant share of the population, and full digitalisation without non-digital alternatives risks institutionalising exclusion. As digital services expand, so does the urgency to provide safer, offline options for marginalised populations.
Our Recommendations for the 2025–2030 Agenda
To ensure that no consumer is left behind, we urge the European Commission to integrate several key principles and policies into the 2025–2030 agenda.
- Legal Right to Choose: Consumers must retain the legal right to request and receive paper-based communication from both public and private sectors. No individual should face additional charges for choosing any non-digital format.
- Active Consent: Digital communication should be opt-in, not default. The right to choose must not require access to online portals or prior registration.
- Legislative Alignment: All sector-specific legal acts impacting consumers should embed an effective right to choose, particularly when revised or newly drafted.
- Public Awareness: Member States should run campaigns to inform citizens about their communication rights.
- Targeted Support: Dedicated programmes must help marginalised consumers, especially those digitally excluded, to understand and navigate their rights.
- Accountability Mechanisms: Robust monitoring and reporting systems should track compliance across the EU to ensure rights are respected
Conclusion
Consumer rights are only meaningful when they are inclusive. As the EU charts its next steps, we call on policymakers to remember that technological progress must not come at the expense of equity.
The EU’s next Consumer Agenda must guarantee consumers the legal right to choose how they receive communications and interact with essential services. Digital channels can offer great benefits, but they should never be the only option.
We need choice, not just for convenience, but for safety, access, and dignity. Inclusion, informed consent, and trust aren’t side notes but the foundation of a fair and resilient consumer landscape.
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This latest opinion has been featured by Euractiv.
Dated: June 24th, 2025
