Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-02-03
CONTENTS
[01] Health Commissioner: budget for consumer protection reduced
[01] Health Commissioner: budget for consumer protection reduced
EU Health and Social Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said in
Athens on Friday that the "European Union's budget for the protection
of the consumer is being reduced."
Speaking at an event organised by the Development Ministry on the theme
"Strategy for the Consumer 2007-2013", Kyprianou said that the
"budget's reduction is regarded certain, a fact which will create
dilemmas for the policies which must be abandoned, given that all the
countries have not reached a high level of protection for their
consumers."
Kyprianou also said that the EU is negotiating with third countries so
as to minimise the problems in imported goods. He said of particular
interest is the case of China "given that 50 per cent of toys in the EU
are from the specific country and that 80 per cent of the EU's imports
are from China."
Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas, on his part, said that "Greece's
legislation for the protection of the consumer will be completed by
June." Sioufas added that "for a fully organised system of checks in
the market to be formed, emphasis is given on the intensification of
checks and the forming of a guide for all the inspection apparatuses
for improving the system's capability to react, where and whenever a
problem arises."
Sioufas further noted:"The cost of protection from faulty or dangerous
products is less than the damage caused by the problem and the cost for
their withdrawal from the market. The minister stressed "the importance
for all the member-states to join forces in the battle for the
protection of the consumer."
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