How Is the Omnibus 30-Day Rule Enforced in Spain?

The rule itself comes from the Omnibus Directive (EU) 2019/2161, but you are never enforced against under the Directive directly. Spain has transposed the 30-day lowest-prior-price rule into its national consumer law, built around the consolidated consumer statute (the Texto Refundido de la Ley General para la Defensa de los Consumidores y Usuarios), and it is that national text a Spanish authority applies.

Who enforces it

Spain does not rely on a single central regulator for everyday consumer complaints. Instead, enforcement is exercised largely by the regional consumer authorities of the autonomous communities, coordinated at national level. In practice, a complaint about a misleading “was/now” price on your store may be handled by the consumer authority of the region where affected buyers are located.

What they look at

When a reduction is announced, the reference price you show must be the lowest price you applied in the 30 days before the reduction. Authorities focus on whether that “before” figure is genuine or whether it was inflated shortly before the sale to exaggerate the discount. The information is also expected to be clear and in Spanish, with co-official languages relevant where you target those regions.

• Is the displayed prior price truly the 30-day low?
• Can you evidence it from a reliable price history?
• Is the reduction claim clear rather than misleading?

Penalties and procedures are set nationally and applied by the competent authority, so the practical defence is always the same: keep a defensible price history and show a genuine reference price. For the wider picture, see our Omnibus law page and the complete Omnibus guide.

This answer is educational and does not constitute legal advice.