Aigner: Enforceable consumer rights strengthen internal market
"Consumer rights are only as good as the degree to which they can be successfully enforced", Federal Minister of Consumer Protection Aigner said today in the run-up to the meeting of the EU Competitiveness Council on 24 September 2009. "I am therefore pleased that the European Commission made the effective protection of consumer rights a priority in its efforts to strengthen the internal market."
The Commission has, among other things, put the Community Acquis on Consumer Protection on the agenda of the Competitiveness Council.
"Consumers will only make full use of the huge potential of the internal market across borders if they can claim their rights quickly, effectively and at a reasonable cost in cases of dispute," Federal Minister Aigner said. "The confidence of consumers in their rights and their effective enforcement is indispensable for sustainable economic growth, particularly within the context of the economic crisis."
The Federal Minister went on to say that Germany was already well-positioned in terms of enforcing consumer rights. "We will play an active role in the negotiations in Brussels in order to improve legal protection at European level as well," the Federal Minister said.
According to the Minister, the "Consumer Markets Scoreboard" introduced by the EU Commission could help in this regard. The Consumer Market Scoreboard is designed to use relevant data and facts, for example on consumer complaints, prices, consumer satisfaction, change of suppliers and product safety, to make political measures at EU and national level more result-driven. The Minister went on to say that this required the collection of sound, reliable data which are comparable at European level. With regard to the Commission's wish to have consumer complaints classified, a subject which is also on the agenda, Federal Minister Aigner explained: "I think it is important to avoid red tape and to consider the real problems of comparability and verifiability of data to ensure that the Consumer Markets Scoreboard meets its objective."
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