Tiziana Toto, Head of National Consumer Policies, and Cinzia Pollio, Senior Project Manager, Cittadinanzattiva APS, discuss the need for consumer education in school curricula across Europe.
At a time when the European Union is placing the protection of young people in the digital environment at the core of its political agenda, will school once again become the key place to build true, conscious citizenship?
The debate is more timely than ever: the recent State of the Union address delivered by the Commission President on September 16, 2026, with particular reference to the announcement of the upcoming “EU KIDS” legislation on minors online – which foresees, for example, strict rules such as the ban on social media before the age of 13 – demonstrates a growing focus on the risks of the digital world.
However, without adequate and effective education on awareness and the responsible use of new technologies, the risk of approaches based solely on limits and restrictions is simply postponing the problem rather than solving it.
Moving beyond restrictions through education
To promote this essential pillar of empowerment and rights protection, the event “Consumer Education in School Curricula: Challenges, Lessons Learned and Policy Recommendations” will take place on 14 October 2026 (from 11:00 to 13:00 CEST) in Room 1H1 of the European Parliament in Brussels (and online).
The meeting, organised by Cittadinanzattiva APS and hosted by Italian MEP Denis Nesci (ECR Group), an expert in consumer issues, aims to demonstrate how consumer literacy and education on the rights of young online consumers must become an integral and structured part of school curricula across Europe.
Bringing consumer literacy into European classrooms
The event marks the final milestone of the European project CoRe – Consumer (Re)Generation, promoted by Cittadinanzattiva APS in partnership with consumer associations EEKE (Greece), and InfoCons (Romania), with the support of iliad and co-funded by the European Union through the Single Market Programme, created to finance activities supporting a well-functioning and sustainable internal market.
Lessons from 16 schools and hundreds of students
The document to be presented to the European institutions and key stakeholders on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, gathers concrete policy recommendations based on the results of the pilot experience conducted in Italy, which involved 16 schools, 35 classes, 667 students, 36 teachers, and 583 parents.
Significant space will be dedicated to direct testimonies from teachers and students who participated in the project’s activities. Together with the project promoters and a delegation of students and teachers involved, experts – such as the President of the European Consumer Union (ECU), a representative of Iliad, and, first of all, representatives of the European Commission from DG CNECT (Communications Networks, Content and Technology) and DG JUST (Justice and Consumers) will join the debate.
Building empowered digital citizens
The proposal brought to the European Parliament on October 14 is the result of an 18-month journey: among the key stages, the recent EU webinar held on September 23, 2026 (“Defining consumer rights education in school curricula”) allowed for gathering requests and best practices from numerous consumer associations, teachers, and experts from various European countries.
What clearly emerges from this transnational exchange is that true protection for minors comes through their empowerment. Integrating concepts into school curricula that are currently absent – related to consumer rights, the digital world, data management, countering unfair commercial practices, and sustainability – is the only way to ensure that future generations are not merely users “protected by law”, but active, critical, and empowered citizens.
Presenting the recommendations to the European Parliament
To register and find more details, please visit the official page on the website of Active Citizenship Network, the European branch of Cittadinanzattiva.