Brussels – 04 December 2025. This week brought real momentum and real urgency for the next chapter of the EU’s Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) framework.
The European Commission’s evaluation of the UTP Directive confirms its positive impact in fostering a more responsible business culture, while also exposing persistent gaps in awareness, implementation and enforcement across the EU. This matters as European Retail Alliances and coordinated purchasing increasingly reshape bargaining dynamics, creating ripple effects across the value chain — often hitting those least able to absorb them.
For AIM, the priority is simple: fair value for all. Strong and coherent enforcement, practical cross-border cooperation and rules that work in practice are essential to ensure responsible conduct becomes the norm.
As AIM Director General Michelle Gibbons noted: “We welcome the evaluation report. Early experience with the UTPD shows encouraging signs of improving the business environment in Europe. By preventing and addressing unfair trading practices, the Directive is helping to build greater trust across the value chain and fostering a more responsible business culture. As the revision moves forward, we would like to see greater ambition to ensure that unfair practices are tackled at every level of the supply chain and that all actors are covered. Europe needs an approach that places fair trading at the heart of its competitiveness agenda.”
As the revision begins, AIM will continue to advocate for a framework that reflects today’s market realities — with the right scope, thresholds and enforcement to ensure fairness and competitiveness go hand in hand.
