EU Consumer Policy
BERR's Consumer & Competition Policy Directorate (CCP) is responsible for co-ordination of UK input into European Union and other international fora, including OECD, WTO and the UN, to protect consumers from dishonest trading practices and unsafe products.
This includes the negotiation, implementation and review of EC legislation and EU policy on consumer protection generally, including recent changes to the Treaty to ensure that consumer protection requirements are taken into account in formulating other community policies and activities.
European Commission's Consumer Policy Strategy (2007 - 2013)
On 13 March 2007, the Commission published a new consumer policy strategy.
The Strategy sets out 3 high-level objectives for European consumer policy over the next seven years:
• Empowering Consumers
• Enhancing Consumer Welfare
• Protecting Consumers
The strategy can be found at:
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/overview/cons_policy/index_en.htm
European Consumer Protection Directives
CCP is also responsible for the regulations, implementation and revision of European directives on consumer protection.
There are a number of European Directives that deal with consumer issues that have been, or are being, transposed into UK law including: Commercial Agents (86/653 EC), Consumer Credit (90/88) Distance Selling (97/7 EC), Doorstep Selling (85/577 EEC), General product Safety (92/59 EEC), Injunctions – Stop Now Orders (98/27 EC), Misleading and Comparative Advertising (84/450 EEC and 97/55 EC), Package Travel (90/314 EEC), Price Indications (98/6 EC), Product Liability (99/34 EEC), Sale of Goods and Associated Guarantees (99/44/EC), Sales Promotions (proposed Regulation), Timeshare (94/47 EC), Unfair Contract Terms (93/13 EEC).
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