Brussels, 13/06/2005 (Agence Europe) - the European Consumer Centres network (ECC) established in January 2005 and co-financed by the European Commission and Member States has just opened its doors in Cyprus. Attending the centre's inauguration in Nicosia, Markos Kyprianou, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection declared, said: “Access to the Internal Market and the consumer protection measures that accompany it are among the great benefits of being an EU citizen. However, European consumers can only really take advantage of these rights once they are fully aware of them and confident that they will be protected and enforced effectively. The European Consumer Centre Network is a tool with which to achieve this”.
The ECC provide information on consumers' rights, assist consumers with their complaints and provide access to out-of-court settlements. They also give the Commission feed-back on consumer problems, compile comparative data on prices and legislation in Member States and co-operate with other EU networks such as the Financial Network (FIN-NET), SOLVIT and the European Judicial Network. The ECC have been created in five of the New Member States: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland. The Latvian centre will open during the summer.