The EU 30-day lowest price rule, country by country
One rule for every EU country, many languages on the price tag. Here is what the rule says and the wording shops use for it in each market.
What the rule says
Article 6a of Directive 98/6/EC, added by the Omnibus Directive 2019/2161 and applied since 28 May 2022, says that any announced price reduction must refer to the lowest price the shop charged in the 30 days before the reduction. The EU Court of Justice confirmed in case C-330/23 (Aldi Süd, 2024) that a percentage discount must be calculated from that price too.
Every EU country has written the rule into national law (in Germany, for example, it is section 11 of the Price Indication Ordinance, PAngV). Countries may allow some exceptions, such as for perishable goods, new products on sale for less than 30 days, or progressive reductions during one sale, so details differ. Check your national consumer authority for the exact rules.
How shops label it, by country
The wording below is what you will typically see near a deal. It is not an official list, and shops vary the exact phrasing.
| Country | Language | 30-day lowest price label | Manufacturer price labels (not covered by the rule) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany, Austria | German | Niedrigster Preis der letzten 30 Tage; Gesamtpreis der letzten 30 Tage | UVP, Unverbindliche Preisempfehlung, statt |
| France, Belgium, Luxembourg | French | Prix le plus bas des 30 derniers jours; Prix de référence | PVC, Prix conseillé |
| Netherlands, Belgium | Dutch | Laagste prijs van de afgelopen 30 dagen | Adviesprijs, van |
| Italy | Italian | Prezzo più basso degli ultimi 30 giorni | Prezzo consigliato |
| Spain | Spanish | Precio más bajo de los últimos 30 días | PVPR, Precio recomendado |
| Portugal | Portuguese | Preço mais baixo dos últimos 30 dias | PVP recomendado |
| Poland | Polish | Najniższa cena z 30 dni przed obniżką | Cena katalogowa, Cena sugerowana |
| Czechia | Czech | Nejnižší cena za posledních 30 dní | Doporučená cena |
| Slovakia | Slovak | Najnižšia cena za posledných 30 dní | Odporúčaná cena |
| Hungary | Hungarian | Az elmúlt 30 nap legalacsonyabb ára | Ajánlott fogyasztói ár |
| Romania | Romanian | Cel mai mic preț din ultimele 30 de zile | PRP, Preț recomandat |
| Croatia, Slovenia | Croatian, Slovenian | Najniža cijena u posljednjih 30 dana; Najnižja cena v zadnjih 30 dneh | Preporučena cijena; Priporočena cena |
| Sweden | Swedish | Lägsta pris senaste 30 dagarna | Rekommenderat pris, Ord. pris |
| Denmark | Danish | Laveste pris de seneste 30 dage | Vejledende pris, Før |
| Finland | Finnish | Alin hinta viimeisen 30 päivän aikana | Suositushinta |
What to do with it
- Compare the sale price with the 30-day lowest price, not with the crossed-out price.
- If the crossed-out price is an RRP (UVP, adviesprijs, PVPR and so on), it says nothing about whether the price really dropped.
- If the "old price" was never the shop's 30-day lowest, report it to your national consumer authority. The European Commission's consumer rights page lists where to go.
Read more: How to check if a Black Friday discount is real · Shops truediscount supports
Checking it automatically
truediscount is a free, open-source extension for Chrome and Firefox that reads these 30-day labels in about 15 languages, flags RRP comparisons and keeps a local price history that never leaves your browser.
This page is a practical guide, not legal advice. Last updated 24 October 2026.