Annexes to COM(2007)99 - EU Consumer Policy strategy 2007-2013 - Empowering consumers, enhancing their welfare, effectively protecting them

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dossier COM(2007)99 - EU Consumer Policy strategy 2007-2013 - Empowering consumers, enhancing their welfare, effectively protecting them.
document COM(2007)99 EN
date January  1, 1945
agreements with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China (AQSIQ) in the field of consumer product safety. The Commission will strengthen co-operation with US and Chinese authorities on the basis of the existing agreements and will seek to develop new agreements, where appropriate.

The growth in e-commerce means that rogue traders are free to operate internationally. The CPC regulation provides for international agreements on mutual assistance between the EU and third countries. The Commission will seek negotiating mandates from the Council for the adoption of such agreements with countries where there are major retail trade flows, and where there is interest in co-operation.

6. CONCLUSIONS

Consumer policy is uniquely well placed to help the EU rise to the twin challenges of growth and jobs and re-connecting with its citizens. The Commission's vision is to be able to demonstrate to all EU citizens by 2013 that they can shop from anywhere in the EU , from corner-shop to website, confident they are equally effectively protected; and to be able to demonstrate to all retailers that they can sell anywhere on the basis of a single, simple set of rules.

The Commissioner for Consumer Protection will on the occasion of European Consumer Day (15 March) every year deliver a speech outlining the progress that has been made. It will also keep the Council, Parliament and the Member States regularly informed. Before March 2011 the Commission will produce a mid-term report and before December 2015 an ex-post evaluation report.

[1] A SINGLE MARKET FOR CITIZENS Interim report to the 2007 Spring European Council Brussels - COM(2007) 60, 21.2.2007.

[2] Retail market covers economic transactions made between economic operators and final consumers (consumers operating outside their professional life), sometimes called the B2C (business-to-consumer) market. Businesses, however small, in their role as purchasers are not addressed in this strategy.

[3] "Healthier, Safer, more confident citizens: a health and consumer protection strategy" - COM(2005) 115.

[4] Special Eurobarometer No 252 "Consumer protection in the Internal Market",http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/topics/eurobarometer_09-2006_en.pdf

[5] Flash Eurobarometer No 186 "Business attitudes towards cross-border sales and consumer protection" http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/topics/flash_eb_186_ann_report_en.pdf

[6] Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market (OJ L 149, 11.6.2005, p. 22).

[7] Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 October 2004 on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws (OJ L 364, 9.12.2004, p. 1).

[8] http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/redress/ecc_network/index_en.htm

[9] Decision No 1926/2006/EC of 18 December 2006 (OJ L 404, 30.12.2006, p. 39).

[10] European Parliament resolution of 15 December 2005on the promotion and protection of consumers' interests in the new Member States.

[11] Special Eurobarometer No 252 "Consumer protection in the Internal Market", http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/topics/eurobarometer_09-2006_en.pdf

[12] GREEN PAPER on the Review of the Consumer Acquis - COM(2006) 744.

[13] Consumer policy strategy 2002-2006 - COM(2002) 208.

[14] http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/overview/cons_policy/index_en.htm

[15] Directive 94/47/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 26 October 1994 on the protection of purchasers in respect of certain aspects of contracts relating to the purchase of the right to use immovable properties on a timeshare basis (OJ L 280, 29.10.1994, p. 83).

[16] COM(2005) 483.

[17] Directive 2002/65/EC of 23 September 2002 concerning the distance marketing of consumer financial services (OJ L 271, 9.10.2002, p. 16).

[18] Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 December 2001 on general product safety (OJ L 11, 15.1.2002, p. 4).

[19] http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cons_org/associations/committ/index_en.htm

[20] Commission Recommendation 98/257/EC of 30 March 1998 on the principles applicable to the bodies responsible for out-of-court settlement of consumer disputes (OJ L 115, 17.4.1998, p. 31); Commission Recommendation 2001/310/EC of 4 April 2001 on the principles for out-of-court bodies involved in the consensual resolution of consumer disputes (OJ L 109, 19.4.2001, p. 56).

[21] Directive 98/27/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 1998 on injunctions for the protection of consumers’ interests (OJ 166, 11.6.1998, p. 51).

[22] www.dolceta.eu

[23] http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/antitrust/others/sector_inquiries/financial_services

[24] This involvement of interested parties in the policy-shaping process is also one of the strands of the Green Paper on a European Transparency Initiative - COM(2006) 194.