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The decision of the European Court of Justice in M D v Tez Tour UAB addresses four different questions and provides further insight into the concept of 'unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances' under Article 12(2) of Directive (EU) 2015/2302. This judgment certainly strengthens the protection of consumer travellers by extending the scope of the provision. However, as this contribution highlights, the decision also introduces several elements of uncertainty that are likely to cascade into domestic litigation and generate lively debate among academics. The most critical issue is undoubtedly the relationship between the average and the vulnerable consumer/traveller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scientific article examines doctrinal positions, European Union legislation, and domestic legislation regarding the definition of the phenomenon of consumer vulnerability and specifies who exactly should be considered a vulnerable consumer. The study of consumer vulnerability is relevant today, given the rapid development of consumer rights protection relations and the need to differentiate consumers. At the same time, despite the existing works of scientists on the definition of vulnerability and vulnerable consumers, in general, in doctrine, and practice, there is no unified approach to understanding the concept of vulnerable consumers. The purpose of the article is to carry out a scientific and legal analysis of approaches to understanding the essence of the phenomenon of consumer vulnerability and highlighting the legal nature of this category. The article indicates the existence of two main approaches to identifying vulnerable consumers. According to the first approach, vulnerable consumers can be classified as a certain group (for example, children, and people with physical or mental infirmity). At the same time, according to another approach, all consumers can become vulnerable due to objective circumstances at any time. However, a vision where the two approaches intersect is also highlighted. It has been established that the vulnerability of consumers can be determined by certain circumstances that have a temporal framework. That is, the consumer may be vulnerable due to a difficult life circumstance. Therefore, an individual who does not belong to the legally defined categories of vulnerable consumers may be vulnerable at a certain point in time. Under such circumstances, we should talk about the vulnerability of consumers due to the condition of an individual, which lasts for a certain period of time (usually short-lived). In this case, it is advisable to extend the rules on the protection of vulnerable categories of consumers to these persons as well. As a conclusion of the research, the author points out that vulnerability as a phenomenon can be inherent in any consumer. Therefore, it is suggested to consider vulnerable consumers through the prism of vulnerable categories of consumers and consumers with vulnerability. Separately, the author proposed a definition of consumer vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Journal of Abant Social Sciences / Abant Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi is the property of Journal of Abant Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Energy poverty has become a global problem, a phenomenon that has grown alarmingly due to the crisis caused by the COVID19 pandemic, the crisis of high energy prices in 2021, followed by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022. These recent events, as well as those associated with the energy transition that occurred in the last decades, have highlighted, in addition to the involvement of government institutions in terms of the necessity of policies in the field of energy, the need to research the phenomenon of energy poverty as well as the need for awareness of the phenomenon among local authorities and of the citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the origin of the EU consumer protection paradigm, its development in legal doctrine and the CJEU jurisprudence, as well as the impact left on it by the insights from vulnerable consumer theory and behavioural economics discussed in the legal doctrine. The authors search for an answer whether certain social and economic challenges can be addressed within the current framework of the EU Consumer law (i.e., the Unfair Contract Terms Directive).

Copyright of Law / Teise is the property of Vilnius University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Derecho Privado (00347922) is the property of Editorial Reus and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Thanks to his social status, his activity, the social relationships he develops, interest in technology, etc., the child has acquired a certain legitimacy to be able to make recommendations on the purchase of a good or service. Of course, professionals are aware of the reverse socialization that takes place within family relationships and have begun to develop products that are intended for children or that, through children, can reach the bosom of families, although those do not concern children. The purpose of this study is to prove that any child is a vulnerable consumer, although he has at his disposal countless methods of information. The child is not capable of complex cognitive functions. Being a consumer means not only acquiring skills and technical routines, but also an awareness of real needs and values, something that can only happen with the development of each individual. The vulnerability that is specific to the child is a matter of social status of the skills and resources that protect each individual and carry extrinsic and partially intrinsic aspects. By analysing the European and national legal frameworks on consumer protection, I have tried to identify a clear definition of the vulnerable consumer, as well as what the concept of „vulnerable consumer" is based on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, with a phenomenological approach, we seek to investigate and reconstruct the quality model of electronic banking services and its invisible aspects and diminish consumer losses with the possibility of vulnerability in the event of a corona pandemic. Based on existing theories and then focusing on the lived experience of individuals, this study tries to identify the dimensions, antecedents and, ultimately, the consequences of this phenomenon in the form of a model. Snowball sampling was carried out in the Tehran megacity, and data was gathered through a semi-structured interview with 25 participants. Through constant comparison of data; open, axial, and selective coding; as well as the analysis of relational content; concepts and themes were categorized. Data analysis showed that the quality of e-services has dimensions of efficiency, completeness of execution, ease of use and access, responsiveness, quality assurance, information, the attractiveness of use, security, emotional actions and functional value. Also, the antecedents affecting this phenomenon include previous experience, oral communication, organizational reputation, customer engagement, previous image, traditionalism and social responsibility, Finally, the consequences of this phenomenon include satisfaction and behavioural intentions. This qualitative study is one of the primary studies on older women's perceptions of the quality of e-banking services. Previous studies have not mentioned some findings of this study. Keywords Quality of electronic banking services, Vulnerable consumer, Phenomenology. . Introduction Competitive environment requires companies to adopt a variety of strategies to cope with. Recent scientific and technological advances have made the market even more competitive for goods and services quality improvement (Rahnavard & Abbaspour, 2014). Moreover, history witnesses an unprecedented technological change in our lives more than at any time in the past, and these changes put more pressure on consumers (Bennett & Maton, 2010). In this competitive age, not only should service providers seek key features and apply them in their products and services, but they should also monitor the changes in consumers’ needs and the position of their products constantly (Tabatabaeenasab & Ebrahimpour, 2015). A group of factors is found to affect individuals attitudes to accept E-banking such as self-service technologies, (Chaouali & El Hedhli, 2019; Chauhan et al., 2019) demographic variables (Chawla & Joshi, 2017, 2018), subjective norms (Ting et al., 2016), the impact of oral advertisement (Mehrad & Mohammadi, 2016), electronic service (Ayo et al., 2016), etc. The banking sector is losing consumers’ trust which needs to be restored. Financial markets are also fraught with challenges with consumers especially the disruptive social conditions that cause widespread complications for everyone (Clifton, Fernández-Gutiérrez & Olalla, 2017). Furthermore, the potential damage to customers is quite high in this industry as customers may lose all their major assets (Ramsay, 2000). Thus, the financial behavior, determining whether vulnerable consumers like elderlies and people with disabilities, who may perceive themselves at lower socioeconomic status, are susceptible to behavioral biases and therefore less likely to profit in the electronic communication market, must be considered (Lunn & Lyons, 2010). Due to the need to identify different categories of users of electronic services in the current situation (the Coronavirus pandemic) and the inevitability of banking activities, vulnerable groups like female elderlies who are prevented from attending communities need higher attention. Research Objectives This research aims to provide a detailed understanding of the needs and criticisms of vulnerable users and to investigate the precedents, consequences, and components of E-banking services. In addition, it tends to apply the findings to propose a model to reduce the damages. Methodology The present study was conducted using a qualitative approach and phenomenological method. Data collection was carried out by in-depth interviews. The population of the study was selected using the snowball sampling method. Data analysis of this research based on Strauss and Corbin instructions includes three main stages of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. Finally, the theory of qualitative model research is expressed. Results Based on the data encoded from 25 interviews, some participants approved the theoretical findings of the quality of self-service E-banking. We also achieved the main influential concepts including traditionalism, and commitment. Concerning the dimension of self-service E-banking service, we have identified emotional actions and practical value as a new dimension to fill the gap in previous researches and provide the basis for future researches. The attractiveness dimension which was found in most online shopping studies was also found to be a self-service E-banking parameter, which is considered as one of the innovations of this study. The remaining components are supported by the literature and previous model. Discussion Given the rapid growth of technology and its application in people's daily lives and increasing competition in this field, identifying different types of behavior in customers and consumers and analyzing their psychological perception of quality leads to more effective marketing strategies. Since such services are designed for public use and the means of providing them are the same, it is important to consider the needs of customers who are more vulnerable to expand the use of these services. This is even more important since community health is at risk because of the Covid-19 pandemic and it makes it even more stressful for elderlies. References Afshari, Z., & Rarmezani, F. (2006). 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Business Ethics Quarterly: The Ruffin Series, 1, 7-20. Cartwright, p. (2015). Understanding and Protecting Vulnerable Financial Consumers. J Consum Policy.38(2), 119-138. Chaouali, W., & El Hedhli, K. (2019). Toward a contagion-based model of mobile banking adoption. International Journal of Bank Marketing. ‏ Chawla, D., & Joshi, H. (2018). The moderating effect of demographic variables on mobile banking adoption: an empirical investigation. Global Business Review, 19(3_suppl), S90-S113. ‏ Chawla, D., & Joshi, H. (2017). High versus low consumer attitude and intention towards adoption of mobile banking in India: An empirical study. Vision, 21(4), 410-424. ‏ Clifton, J., Fernández-Gutiérrez, M., & Garcia-Olalla, M. ( 2017) . Including vulnerable groups in financial services insights from consumer satisfaction. Journal of Economic Policy Reform, 20(3), 214-237. Dunnett, S., Hamilton, K., & Piacentini, M. (2016). Consumer vulnerability: introduction to the special issue. Journal of marketing management, 32(3–4), 207–210. Garín-Munoz, T., Lopez, R., Perez-Amaral, T., Herguera, I., & Valarezo, A. (2017). Models for individual adoption of eCommerce, eBanking and eGovernment ~ in Spain. Telecommunications Policy ,43(1), 100-111. Georg, M., Graham, C., & Lennard, L. (2013), Consumer Vulnerability – Mainstream, not Marginal . Centre for Consumers and Essential Services , 16-1. Glaser, B. G. & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory, Aldine Publishing Company. Chicago. Hill, R. P., & Sharma, E. (2020). Consumer Vulnerability. Journal Of Consumer Psychology, 30(3), 551-570. Iqbal, M. S., Hassan, M., & Habibah, U. (2018). Impact of self-service technology (SST) service quality on customer loyalty and behavioral intention: The mediating role of customer satisfaction. Cogent Business & Management, 5(1). [Text In Persian] Kermani, M., Noghanidokht Bahmani, M., & Baradaran Kashani, Z. (2018).Qualitative Meta-Analysis of Two Decades of Research on the Empowerment of Rural and Urban Women in Iran. Journal of Women's Social and Psychological Studies, 16(2). [Text In Persian] Kim, K., Gollamudi, S., & Steinhubl, S. (2017). Digital technology to enable aging in place. Experimental Gerontology, 88, 25-31. Lotfi, F., & Ghafari, L. (2008). Gender Differences In Incentives Of Electronic Shopping.Journal of Women's Social and Psychological Studies, 6(1), 7-33. [Text In Persian] Lunn, P., & Lyons, S. (2010). Behavioural economics and “vulnerable consumers”: a summary of evidence. London: Communications Consumer Panel. ‏ Malkovich, S. D., & Jelena. Katušić , G. (2015). Service Quality Measurement in Croatian Banking Sector: Application of SERVQUAL Model. Management international conference portoroz, Slovenia. Mehrad, D., & Mohammadi, Sh. (2016). Word of Mouth Impact on the Adoption of Mobile Banking in Iran. Telematics & Informatics, 34(7). [Text in Persian] Mohammadpour, A. 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A QFD Application in Satisfying Customers' Exceptions in Higher Education. Management Studies, 11(42), 209-222. [Text in Persian] Ramsay, I. (2000). Access to credit in the alternative consumer credit market. The Office.‏. Rosenbaum, M. S., Guttmann, T. S., & Giraldo, M. (2017). commentary: Vulnerable Consumers in Service Settings. Journal of Services Marketing, 31(3), 1-10. Salomonson, E., & Salomonson, N. (2019). Consumer vulnerability during mobility service interactions: causes, forms and coping. Journal of Marketing Management, 35(3–4), 364–389. Santos, J .(2003). E-service quality: a model of virtual service quality dimentions: managing service Quality. Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 13(3), 233-246. Shi, H. Y., Jing, F. J., Yang, Y., & Nguyen, B. (2017). The concept of consumer vulnerability: Scale development and validation. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 41(6), 769-777. Shivani Sothi, R., Lee, H., & Gledhill, A. (2019). Identifying and Responding to Consumer Vulnerability. Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Law and Policy (IGE Consumer). Shokri, E., Heydarzadeh Hanzaei, K., & Zaboli, R. (2017). A Phenomenological Approach toward Women' s Tendency to Online Shopping. Journal of Women's Social and Psychological Studies, 15(3), 69-100. [Text In Persian] Tabatabaeenasab, M., & Ebrahimpour, M. (2015). Designing Products by Integrating Kano and QFD Models Using TOPSIS: A Case Study of Cell-Phone, Innovation Management, 3(3) ,121-144. [Text in Persian] Teddlie, C., & Tashakori, A. (2017). Foundations of mixed methods research: integrating quantitative, Tehran, Jahad daneshgahi. [Text In Persian] Ting, H., Yacob, Y., Liew, L., & Lau, W. M. (2016). Intention to use mobile payment system: A case of developing market by ethnicity. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 224, 368-375. Yaseen,S. G., & El Qirem, I. A. (2018). Intention to use e-banking services in the Jordanian commercial banks. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 36(1), 557-571. Zeithaml, V. A., Berry, L. L., & Parasuraman, A. (1996). The behavioral consequences of service quality. Journal of Marketing, 60(2), 31-46.

Copyright of Itobiad: Journal of the Human & Social Science Researches / İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of Itobiad: Journal of the Human & Social Science Researches and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A consumer that is on a regular basis reasonably well-informed, and reasonably observant and circumspect may be affected by vulnerability in a particular situation. The author strongly believes that in the area of consumer protection, the abstract notion of vulnerable consumer should be introduced, in addition to the average consumer, as a legal standard of equal importance. The fundamental relation of consumer law, business-to-consumer (B2C), has been upgraded with a complex business-to-vulnerable consumer relationship (B2VC). Public authorities, in particular, have to take this fact into account when interpreting and applying consumer law so that a higher level of protection is guaranteed to vulnerable consumers. If protection of the consumer, as the weaker contractual party, is a significant step in the eternal development of good faith principles, then guaranteeing special protection to vulnerable consumers should be the next crucial move forward in the evolution of good faith principles.

• Financial inclusion is the sustainable provision of financial services. • Financial exclusion can be conceived as financial discrimination. • We find a complex intra-urban 'financial ecology' of low-income consumers. • Use difficulties are the main difficulties that vulnerable financial consumers face. The financial exclusion phenomenon has been approached from different perspectives. After reviewing the recent literature, we adopt a financial ecology approach and propose a comprehensive framework to analyse the different types of difficulties (access, use and perception) that vulnerable financial consumers face in relationships with banking institutions as well as their underlying causes. We consider financial inclusion as the sustainable provision of financial services and products and an adjustment to individual needs. We examine a special group of urban vulnerable consumers: underbanked people facing poverty and social exclusion. Data were obtained from focus groups and were coded and analysed using qualitative data analysis software. The results show that use difficulties predominate, followed by perception difficulties. Bank pressure and lack of financial training stood out among the main causes of these financial difficulties. We conclude that poorer neighbourhoods constitute a distinctive financial ecology produced by the 'discrimination' of a significant number of their inhabitants in the use of mainstream financial services. The study provides evidence of the socio-spatial nature of the exclusion process and calls for further research on the role of policy responses to restrict abusive practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Anali Pravnog Fakulteta u Beogradu is the property of University of Belgrade, Faculty of Law and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The unequal distribution of costs and benefits of the energy transition is a challenge for energy justice and energy policy. Although the empowerment of consumers to participate in renewable energy communities (RECs) has great potential for a just energy transition, vulnerable consumers remain underrepresented in RE projects. The recast of the European renewable energy directive obliges the European Member States to facilitate the participation of vulnerable consumers and support their inclusion in its “enabling framework” for prosumership. However, the type and specific design of corresponding measures remains unclear. Against this background this article investigates consumer empowerment in a vulnerability context. In particular we stress the need to understand how vulnerability affects participation in RECs to inform both policy makers and practitioners on its specificities and restrictions for the “enabling framework”. To prevent the inclusion of vulnerable consumers in RECs from remaining an idea on paper lawmakers need to be made aware of the implications for a consistent “enabling framework”. We argue that both individual vulnerable consumers as well as RECs need incentives and support to boost RECs’ capacity to include groups that until now remain underrepresented.

Introduction. The issue of consumer protection during electricity market reforming becomes of special urgency and requires the appropriate instrumentarium that would meet the aquis communautaire criteria as for providing information, contractual obligations and quality of services in the electricity market of Ukraine. Purpose. of the article is to expand approaches to the definition of the category of vulnerable consumer; as a factor of effective reform of the countries energy sector in accordance with the standards and norms of European legislation. Methods. During the research the following methods were used: economic and statistical (for analysis of the current state of Ukrainian households' income and expenditures); statistical (for a complex diagnosis of the current welfare population in Ukraine and the welfare of population in European countries; the cost and volume of electricity, affecting the socio-economic development of the country). Results. The work analyzes the households' indicators on the level of material welfare as a factor reflecting the state of socio-economic development of the country and the provision of the population with tangible and intangible benefits. The world experience of existing mechanisms of consumer rights protection in the liberalized electricity market has been analysed. Discussion. It is proved that the minimum consumption tariffs make the price structure non-transparent and have the direct interrelationship with the effect of cross-subsidiziation, which can lead to incorrect price signals for consumers and investors from energy suppliers. Considering this an important point in the rules of social protection is the absence of administrative interference in the natural mechanisms of the energy market. It is emphasized that it is the consumer's awareness of his rights, duties and the market data which lays the foundation for successful reformation and functioning of the electricity market and is the basis for ensuring energy efficiency and the economical use of energy resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Română de Drept al Afacerilor is the property of Wolters Kluwer Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the summer of 2014, Gil Stricklin, President-CEO of Marketplace Ministries, made a decision to step down from the position he had held since he founded the organization in 1984. His intention was to become the CEO of the organization's Foundation, which raised money for global outreach. At the same time, the COO also decided to step down from his position; therefore, the Marketplace Ministries Board was faced with replacing both of these individuals as quickly as possible after the intended date of the change took place in January of 2015. The organization, which placed chaplains in business organizations around the world, had grown into an operation that had approximately 2,552 men and women assisting employees in these organizations dealing with personal problems. Not only were these chaplains helping individuals deal with the daily challenges of depression, loss, and facing difficult situations, but in addition 9,570 became Christians in 2014 because of this ministry. Now the Board of Marketplace Ministries had to decide on a succession process, timing and appropriate characteristics of a new President-CEO and a new COO who would also be Chief of Staff. One of the biggest decisions was whether to consider individuals who had a business background or a church-related or theological background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Quality of Life (1018-0389) / Calitatea Vieţii is the property of Romanian Academy Publishing House / Editura Academiei Romane and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article describes and analyzes the energy poverty existing in Romania, highlighting the context and characteristics of social vulnerabilities generated or aggravated by the lack of inclusive policies for energetic development and by the inefficient functioning of national energy system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This commentary presents an analysis of empirical data that illustrate differences that exist between consumers from counties that border Mexico and the consumers from non-border counties in the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. The data show that the average consumer spending potential within the southern border counties significantly differs from counties that are not contiguous to the southern border. The data also indicate that the Hispanic population in counties that are not contiguous to the Mexican border is growing at a faster rate than within border counties. These outcomes suggest opportunities for social entrepreneurs who could favorably influence the potentially disadvantaged or vulnerable consumer within both types of counties. Most research in the area of the disadvantaged consumer has focused on describing categories of consumers based on demographics and marketplace environmental conditions. This categorization has heretofore drawn attention to a societal obligation from a public policy and governmental action perspective. While important, this approach may be too limiting because demographic definitions tend to suggest that all categorical members within a category are at risk. The data analyzed in this commentary examine the population migration patterns and specific consumption expenditures, both of which illustrate a situation that governments and public agencies have not, will not, or cannot effectively remedy which therein presents a social entrepreneur with both a challenge and an opportunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy services have a particularly significant impact on the daily life and welfare of consumers. The importance of such services is high, and their regulation is also changing both at the EU and Member States level, especially after the adoption of the Third Energy Package1, which is focused on improving the operation of retail markets to yield real benefits for both electricity and gas consumers. In order to implement the main or the most relevant goal of the EU, such as high level of consumer rights protection, resulting in consumer trust in business sector, proper and effective functioning of the EU internal market etc., it is essential to ensure clear and sufficient legal regulation, establish responsibility of the services providers, consumer rights and duties as well as promote more effective, faster and cheaper ways of solving consumer and business disputes. The authors of this article feel the lack of scientific analysis on this issue. Despite its importance, discussions take place at political or practical level, but no recent analyses exist as to why energy services sector is so fragmented and how it affects different conditions or rights of consumers in various Member States. This article also clearly supports the idea that the above-mentioned goals can be achieved by close and more fruitful cooperation between the EU and national competent authorities, participation in various ad hoc expert working groups and committees, such as the Vulnerable Consumers Working Group. This article reflects general ideas about the problems arising in the energy consumer services sector, the activity of the EU and national institutions, seeking to ensure fair and transparent provision of such services to consumers, it also contains an analysis of alternative dispute resolution (hereinafter -- the ADR) methods and good practice of their application in the EU Member States. This article highly supports the application of alternative procedures in the field of energy services and sees them as a possibility to minimise increasing consumer problems, e.g. a new phenomenon -- consumer energy poverty in the EU, which is defined as the situation where a household is unable to access a socially and materially necessitated level of energy services at home and pay for the provided services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unequal distribution of costs and benefits of the energy transition is a challenge for energy justice and energy policy. Although the empowerment of consumers to participate in renewable energy communities (RECs) has great potential for a just energy transition, vulnerable consumers remain underrepresented in RE projects. The recast of the European renewable energy directive obliges the European Member States to facilitate the participation of vulnerable consumers and support their inclusion in its "enabling framework" for prosumership. However, the type and specific design of corresponding measures remains unclear. Against this background this article investigates consumer empowerment in a vulnerability context. In particular we stress the need to understand how vulnerability affects participation in RECs to inform both policy makers and practitioners on its specificities and restrictions for the "enabling framework". To prevent the inclusion of vulnerable consumers in RECs from remaining an idea on paper lawmakers need to be made aware of the implications for a consistent "enabling framework". We argue that both individual vulnerable consumers as well as RECs need incentives and support to boost RECs' capacity to include groups that until now remain underrepresented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]