Consumers may suffer in wake of Council rethink

Date: 04/07/02

By Peter Chapman

EUROPE'S leading consumers' lobby has warned the public may lose out following a major shake-up in the Council of Ministers, the EU's main law-making institution.

EU leaders at last month's Seville summit agreed to switch responsibility for consumer affairs from internal market ministers to those for social affairs and health. The move follows their decision to reduce the number of Council configurations from 16 to nine.

The European Consumers Association (BEUC) fears the changes will result in consumer issues receiving less attention.

'We don't know why they did it. We were very upset - we hope something can be done,' said BEUC deputy director Willemien Bax. The move, taken without any consultation, meant consumer affairs would be bundled together with totally unrelated subjects - enjoying a far lower profile than under the internal market platform, she said.

It would also make the job of lobbying Brussels-based diplomats tougher because many member states have the same staff handling the single market and consumer dossier.

'We feel with employment and social affairs there is no logic. Internal market and consumer affairs are closely related,' she said, citing the launch of the euro as a case in point. 'Often you have internal market ministers dealing with consumer issues,' she added.

The current internal market and consumer council will be renamed the competitiveness council, and will also deal with industry and research issues. Other changes, initiated by Council deputy secretary-general Pierre de Boissieu, include plans to merge fisheries and agriculture meetings and marry transport and telecoms - linked in the past because ministers are often from the same department - with energy.

Europe's leading consumers' lobby has warned the public may lose out following a major shake-up in the Council of Ministers, the EU's main law-making institution. The European Consumers Association (BEUC) fears the changes will result in consumer issues receiving less attention.