Brussels, 22/04/2009 (Agence Europe) - BEUC (the European consumers' organisation), which represents the interests of European consumers, entered the electoral campaign on Tuesday 21 April, by giving the future members of the European Parliament the keys to an EP which is more consumer friendly. The MEPs to be voted into office must tackle dossiers which are important to consumers throughout Europe, stresses BEUC, which is firmly convinced that anxiety-generating crises, be they financial, economic or climatic, mean that a Europe which is close to its citizens is more vital than ever.
For this reason, it has invited future MEPs to conclude a "European Pact for consumers" laying down the priorities for the years to come and eight commitments to which the candidates can subscribe online. These priorities are based on the results of consultations by the organisations which are members of BEUC, which have identified the concrete problems faced by consumers in everyday life on the internal market. The corollary political commitments constitute an instruction manual to "win the confidence of consumers".
They are: energy and sustainability: guarantee all consumers of the EU access to the energy services of their choice, without compromising the needs of current and future generations; financial services: guarantee access to safe, affordable, transparent, fair and effective financial services; consumer contracts: reinforce the rights of consumers when purchasing goods and services from shops and from the internet; food: help consumers to make enlightened choices, improve access to safe and healthy foods, promote the production and consumption of sustainable foodstuffs; digital world: give consumers the power to play a central role at the heart of a safe, fair and competitive digital market; healthcare: guarantee safe products and reduce the exposure of consumers and the environment to dangerous chemical substances; group actions: fully compensate all consumers of the EU who have suffered damages caused by the same trader.
The Pact, which is available in 20 languages of the EU, and the list of candidate MEPs who have already signed up to it, is available at the following address: http: //http://www.consumerpact.eu (A.N.)