§ Mr. SpringTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the outcome of the EU Consumers Council held on 25 November. [7639]
Mr. John M. TaylorThe Council held an orientation debate on a proposal for a directive on injunctions for the protection of consumers interest.
The Council also held an orientation debate in which broad agreement was reached on proposed amendments to the part of the directive on consumer credit dealing with annual percentage rates.
The Council agreed conclusions on an access to justice action plan for co-operation to help consumers achieve settlement in cross-boarder disputes through out-of-court and small claims procedures.
There was an open debate on consumers and the information society in which the wide ranging impact and speed of technological development in the information society were fully acknowledged. The Commission will examine existing legislation to identify the, possibly limited, scope for specifically consumer oriented action.
The Commission gave presentations on the:
Green Paper on Financial ServicesGreen Paper on Commercial CommunicationsProposed Directive on Consumer GuaranteesThere was an informal discussion on:
the Commission guide on bovine spongiform encephalopathy;preparation for the intergovernmental conference, with particular reference to the treaty provisions for consumer affairs;the implications for consumers of the proposals for a single European Currency.national policies on vulnerable groups of consumers; and on consumer protection in relation to novel foods.