Internal Market & Consumer

Consultation on the General Product Safety Legislative Initiative

Published: 31/07/2010 - last updated: 30/07/2010
For the commerce sector, product safety is not an issue for trade off and bargains. As a result, any product placed on the EU market must be safe. In the framework of the different consultations that have taken place before the launch of the official revision, it appears that Directive 2001/95 (hereafter GPSD) has delivered very good results so far and has achieved its objective to increase the level of product safety or to ensure that appropriate measures are taken in cases where unsafe products have been discovered.
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Revised rules for the assessment of horizontal cooperation agreements under EU competition law

Published: 25/06/2010 - last updated: 25/06/2010
For the commerce sector, it is vital to have legal certainty to be able to apply legislation correctly and consistently.
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The Internal Market – a citizens market;An exciting concept relevant to all citizens

Published: 04/01/2010 - last updated: 04/01/2010
As defined in the Treaty, the Internal Market “shall comprise an area without internal frontiers in which the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital is ensured”. However, despite this definition, it appears that Member States still continue to conceive it as the sum of national markets competing between themselves. The development of national laws or administrative measures aiming to protect the domestic market against economic operators established in other Member States is at the very basis of legal fragmentations that still prevent citizens from taking advantage of the full range of opportunities a broader market may offer in terms of choice or outlets. Any attempts to create a better functioning Internal Market should start by tackling such kinds of protectionist reflexes under any form they may take.
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Consultation on classifying and reporting consumer complaints and enquiries

Published: 14/10/2009 - last updated: 14/10/2009
For the commerce sector, good consumer conditions are a key factor for consumer confidence and optimising the functioning of the market place. Consumer complaints are important as an indicator for consumer satisfaction, but data about consumer complaints should be treated and interpreted with caution.
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Retail Market Monitoring

Published: 22/09/2009 - last updated: 15/01/2010
1. The weight of the retail sector.
The retail sector in Europe:
- provides jobs to more than 31 million citizens
- is composed of more than 6 million companies
- which generate 11% of the EU GDP.
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Vertical Agreements

Published: 28/09/2009 - last updated: 29/09/2009
As recalled by the Commission, the experience acquired before 2000 made it possible to define categories of vertical agreements that can be regarded as normally satisfying the conditions laid down in article 81(3) of the EC Treaty. This led the Commission to adopt Regulation 2790/99 and relevant guidelines with the view to provide business operators with all the necessary parameters to carry out their own assessment of the agreements they may enter into. The so-called “safe harbour” thus created has proven to work efficiently.
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Responsible lending and borrowing

- last updated: 17/09/2009
EuroCommerce welcomes the opportunity to comment on the EU Commission consultation paper on responsible lending and borrowing in the EU. EuroCommerce represents the retail, wholesale and international trade sectors in Europe. We wish to take position on issues mentioned in the consultation paper which are of particular relevance for the commerce sector. EuroCommerce thus would like to comment on the role of credit intermediaries, and particularly the intermediation at point of sale (Q.8, Q.9)
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Consumer Rights Directive

Published: 04/08/2009 - last updated: 04/08/2009
Suggestion for amendments to the Commission proposal COM 2008/614
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Inquiry into the European Commission’s proposed Directive on Consumer Rights

Published: 03/04/2009 - last updated: 04/05/2009
Response to Call for evidence - UK House of Lords.
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EuroCommerce Response to the Green Paper on Consumer Collective Redress (COM (2008) 794)

Published: 02/03/2009 - last updated: 02/03/2009
EuroCommerce welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the public Commission consultation launched on 27 November 2008 assessing the current state of redress mechanisms in cases where many consumers are likely to be affected by the same legal infringement and providing options to close any gaps to effective redress identified in such cases.
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White Paper on Damages Actions for breach of EC Antitrust rules

Published: 22/07/2008 - last updated: 23/07/2008
EuroCommerce understands that the objective of the White Paper is to further reflect on the possible introduction into Member States’ national legislation of rules of procedure that would allow victims of the same anti competitive behaviour to regroup their claims and bring action via suitable representatives, i.e. a so-called collective redress mechanism. Our comments relate exclusively to this White Paper on damages for breach of the EC antitrust rules, which is the only detailed proposal currently on the table. We will therefore respond to any other proposals on their own merit.
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Review of the Consumer Acquis - impacts of consumer protection legislation on businesses

Published: 03/04/2008 - last updated: 15/04/2008
EuroCommerce welcomes the impact assessment the European Commission has launched on the review of the Consumer Acquis. Any kind of initiative aiming at gathering as much information as possible guarantees that the wide range of potential or actual problems will be brought to the knowledge of the Commission so as to allow it deal with them consistently. Moreover, this will help to ensure any changes to the existing legislation are properly costed and their implications fully considered.
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Contribution to the DG Sanco consultation on consumer collective redress benchmarks

Published: 20/03/2008 - last updated: 20/03/2008
EuroCommerce welcomes the “debate” on the Consumer Collective Redress Benchmarks as well as the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing discussion on collective redress and in particular on the proposed benchmarks.
However, EuroCommerce would like to stress that this debate cannot considered to be a consultation since it too premature to call it a consultation without having drafted any legislative proposal, communication, etc. Moreover, given the short timescale, we do not consider this debate as formal and final and we assume that the Commission will launch a proper consultation once there is a real proposal.
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Collective redress

Published: 08/01/2008 - last updated: 08/01/2008
The current debate on the introduction of an EU wide collective redress mechanism is characterised by very pronounced positions in favour or against such a possibility. From many aspects, these positions could be qualified as dogmatic to the extent that the support or the opposition is essentially a question of principle rather than based on any consideration of whether there is evidence of real need.
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Response to the DG Sanco "Identifying future challenges 2009-2014" paper

Published: 31/12/2007 - last updated: 11/01/2008
EuroCommerce welcomes the DG SANCO initiative aiming at identifying the future challenges that EU consumer policies will have to tackle over the next five years. More specifically, the commerce sector welcomes and supports the forward looking approach to examine the context for policy decision for the next Commission. As a result, we would like to take the opportunity offered to stakeholders to make some input at this early stage.
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Initiative of the Commission in favour of the Free Movement of Goods

Published: 15/06/2007 - last updated: 18/09/2007
EuroCommerce comments on:
Proposal for a Regulation setting out the requirements for Accreditation and Market surveillance relating to the Marketing of Products
COM (2007) 37 FINAL;
Proposal for a Decision on a Common Framework for Marketing of Products
COM (2007) 53 FINAL;
Proposal for a Regulation laying down Procedures relating to the Application of certain national technical rules to Products lawfully marketed in another Member State
COM (2007) 36 FINAL
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EuroCommerce response to the Green Paper for the Review of the Consumer Acquis - COM 2006/744

Published: 29/05/2007 - last updated: 30/05/2007
EuroCommerce, the voice of commerce in Europe, welcomes the Commission’s efforts to implement the principles of better regulation to consumer protection legislation aiming at its harmonisation across Europe.
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Public Consultation on the future of the Internal Market

Published: 15/06/2006 - last updated: 09/11/2006
EuroCommerce is strongly committed to the Internal Market and its completion. Our members wonder whether the same can be said for the Commission - quite apart from the Council. They ask:
- where in the paper is the vision?
- where in the paper is the plan for the completion of the Internal Market?
- where in the paper is the commitment for strong and effective enforcement of the rules?
- where in the paper is the commitment to give a lead?
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Input of the Commerce sector on the forthcoming Review of the Consumer Acquis

Published: 20/03/2006 - last updated: 09/11/2006
The review of the consumer acquis is a practical example of Better Regulation in action. There is no doubt that we are all in favour of better regulation. The burden of bad law is not to be underestimated. It costs jobs. It fails to provide proper protection of consumers. It has all too real an effect.
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