Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-09-06-Speech-4-024"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070906.2.4-024"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, I should like to express my warmest thanks to Mrs Patrie for her hard work, and also my thanks to the Commission. The Green Paper is a very good tool for identifying problems in, and seeking solutions to, the consumer acquis. One of the solutions proposed by Mrs Patrie is a combined approach to the consumer acquis involving full harmonisation in the cross-cutting definitions and minimum harmonisation at sector level. I can understand this approach, and I also support it. In my view, however, we also need to ensure that harmonisation of consumer acquis does not lead to a decline in the level of protection of any consumers whatsoever. Accordingly, when we discussed the matter in the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, I submitted a proposal concerning what is known as a ‘consumer protection guarantee’. Unfortunately, the proposal was defeated in the vote in committee, but now the Socialist Group in the European Parliament has resubmitted it so that we can vote on it here in plenary.
The point of this proposal is to give all European consumers a safeguard, or guarantee, that the rights already obtained will not be at risk even in the case of full legislative harmonisation. I believe that this is crucial in building consumer confidence in the EU, and in fostering an appreciation of why we are making common EU rules. After all, we do need common rules in a number of areas, among other things to keep pace with the growth and development of the volume of trade on the Internet, for example. As a matter of fact, it is widely held among the public of some Member States that their own particular country has the very highest level of consumer protection. Denmark is one such country, and thus all EU measures in the field of consumer legislation are regarded with apprehension. Purely and simply, the public fears a lowering of standards.
It is my deep conviction that the introduction of a consumer protection guarantee – that is, a guarantee that no one will be in a less favourable position in the future than he or she is today – really will enable us to both allay these fears and foster an appreciation that it makes sense to pass Community legislation, too. This will be only at the highest level, not at the lowest. Consequently, I would urge everyone to vote in favour of our proposal No 4 during voting time later today."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples