EUROPEAN CONSUMER PROTECTION POLICY

The Centre for European Studies and Hanns Seidel Foundation organised a conference entitled ‘European Consumer Protection Policy: Conflicting Ideas Between Consumer Rights and Paternalism’ at the Representation of the Free State of Bavaria at the EU in Brussels.

The event was officially opened by the Head of the Representation of the Free State of Bavaria at the EU, Heidrun Piwernetz (Under-Secretary), and Tomi Huhtanen, Director of the Centre for European Studies, who stated that unified consumer protection constituted both a necessity and a challenge within the context of globalisation.

The panellists taking part in the discussion were Meglena Kuneva, Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Anne Outin-Adam, Director for Legal Matters of the Paris Chamber of Commerce, Stephan Mayer, member of the German Federal Parliament and board member of the study group for internal affairs and legal matters of the Christian Social Union (CSU) national committee, and Jorge Pegado-Liz, member of the Economy and Social Affairs committee and reporter for class action suit schemes. The event was moderated by Detlef Ingo Fechtner, the Brussels correspondent of the WAZ Media Group.

Commissioner Meglena Kuneva expressed the opinion that the EU internal market is still a market for companies, and said that she is committed to making it a market for citizens. She referred to the European Commission’s action programme to achieve this by making available a financial framework amounting to €156.8 million for the period 2007–13. The Commissioner stated that she approved class action suits in principle, as long as a European model is followed.

The panellists agreed that unified regulations are required with regard to consumer protection and that implementing them would not be easy. There remained, however, disagreement on the extent to which the EU should interfere with the national policies of individual member states and as to the level of responsibility that should be entrusted to EU citizens.