Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-03-09-Speech-2-014"
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"en.20100309.4.2-014"2
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"Mr President, I will be commenting on the report about these two very key European policies – the Consumer Markets Scoreboard and the Consumer Enforcement Package – that has been presented by Ms Hedh. I would like to thank Ms Hedh for her excellent work as a rapporteur.
Consumer policy lies at the heart of the economic and social challenges that we face today. It is all about people. Informed and empowered consumers drive innovation and competitiveness but, perhaps most importantly, making the internal market work for consumers is our trump card in reconnecting with citizens. The central role given to consumer policy is reflected in a number of portfolios. Indeed, the College will be working together closely on ensuring that the rules adopted translate into practical benefit for consumers. I am here today with my friend Michel Barnier, just as an indication that this is the close way in which we will be working together. This will be our working practice.
The consumer dimension is to be developed in all portfolios and benchmarks will be adopted across the Commission to measure progress or the lack of it. The Consumer Scoreboard serves as an alarm system, telling us even when the internal market is letting consumers down. The scoreboard also serves to monitor progress in integrating the retail side of the internal market for consumers, SMEs and other retailers. It also helps to show whether Member States are doing enough to enforce new consumer law and to inform, educate and empower consumers.
Turning to enforcement, I am pleased to see that Parliament shares the Commission’s view about the importance of giving people in practice the rights they have on paper. We have a long way to go in this regard. The communication of July 2009 aimed at identifying ways of making enforcement more effective, efficient and consistent throughout the European Union. It now needs to be translated into concrete action. One priority will be to step up efforts to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our cross-border networks, which must send strong messages to traders that there is no safe haven in the EU where they can hide from pursuit. The same applies to cooperation with authorities in third countries. To achieve this, national enforcers need sufficient staff and resources. In tough economic times, all public services are under pressure, but cutting back on enforcement of consumer rights can only be false economy. Free, open, well-policed markets encourage competition on quality and price and drive competitiveness. This benefits not only consumers but also the EU economy as a whole. Both the Commission and Parliament should work together to ensure that this message rings out loud and clear across Member States.
We also intend to continue the good work in establishing Europe-wide coordinated enforcement – so-called sweeps. However, these sweeps have shown that sometimes, combining national efforts is not enough. European solutions are needed. I will therefore happily take up your invitation to explore the legal basis in the treaty with a view to strengthening consumer protection, in particular, enhancing the Commission’s capabilities, but this will be done and we will go down this road if we are first convinced that it will add value to work at national level.
Turning to redress, I agree that alternative dispute resolution mechanisms can offer cheap, simple and quick redress for consumers, while maintaining the reputations of businesses. One element of this strategy relates to the handling of collective claims. Here I intend to make sure, together with Vice-Presidents Almunia and Reding, that the Commission moves forward in a coordinated manner.
Finally, I count on your support to ensure that sufficient funding is made available post 2013, when the current consumer programme expires, to support the ambitious consumer policy, not least the continued delivery of an enhanced scoreboard. Together, I am confident we can meet the complex challenges of today and tomorrow and work in partnership to ensure the internal market delivers its full potential to all our citizens."@en1
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