Yesterday German consumer organizations celebrated the Consumer Day 2011. One key message was to enhance the strategic orientation of consumer policy. Consumer policy had to be more than just reactions to scandals. Beyond that, more than ever consumer policy had to acknowledge the diverse life-realities of consumers.
The Director of the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (vzbv), Gerd Billen, highlighted that consumers had to face challenges particularly in those markets that were liberalised and privatized in recent years: telecommunication market, health care and energy market. - Against this backdrop the consumer day asked how much state consumer needed.
To take greater account of the life realities of consumers and to create necessary framework conditions, vzbv highlighted the following preconditions:
- Empirical knowledge and realistic assumptions about consumer behaviour
- More resources for publicly funded consumer research
- A critical review of the effectiveness of political interventions
- The creation of an expert committee for consumer issues
- A regular report on the state of consumer protection
- A strong consumer interest representation
Further information: www.vzbv.de/go/presse/1491/index.html
Source: vzbv