Address by the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Mr. Yiorgos Lillikas, at the opening of the European Consumer Centre of Cyprus

10/06/2005

It is with great pleasure that I address today's event, which is organised by the Competition and Consumer Protection Service, on the occasion of the opening of the European Consumer Centre of Cyprus. A special welcome is addressed to our compatriot, the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, Mr. Markos Kyprianou, and his team of associates, the presence of whom proves his interest for the protection rights of European consumers.

We open today the European Consumer Centre of Cyprus which is an integral part of the Network of European Consumer Centres that has as a primary goal the promotion of consumer trust in the internal market of the European Unio n.

The successful and effective promotion of the demands and claims of the European consumers creates feelings of confidence to the European institutions. This subject is considered particularly relevant, after the referenda in France and the Netherlands for the European Constitution, where the citizens expressed, via their votes, their strong concerns and their anxiety in a series of matters that reflect in the operation of the European Unio n. The completion of enlargement of the European Union goes through the re-establishment of confidence to Europeans, who look upon the “ European State ” as impersonal and far apart from problems of every day life. With mechanisms such as the European Consumers Centres, the European Union can approach the European citizens under the consumer's identity.

This is achieved via:
· The provision of information and counselling of European Consumers regarding their rights.
· The provision of assistance in cases of consumer cross border disputes.
· Participation in European Programmes.
· Co-operation of the network with the European Union and the exchange of information regarding consumer issues. Through the national consumer centres, this network transfers to the European Commission the anxieties and queries of Europeans.

In this respect the Network of the European Consumers Centres acts as a mediator between the European Committee and the European consumers. The Commission encourages European consumers to actively use to the full extend the services provided by the network in order to gain maximum benefit from the various possibilities, choices and opportunities the internal market offers.

The European Consumer Centre of Cyprus as of today will be officially handling all complaints of Cypriot consumers that occur during the purchase of products or the provision of services to other member states. It will also deal accordingly with all complaints made by European citizens when purchasing products or services from Cyprus and submit their complaints through the European Consumer Centre located in their area of permanent residence. These complaints will be forwarded to the European Consumer Centre of Cyprus for immediate actio n.

The European Consumer Centre of Cyprus is offering as from today its own website providing useful advice such as information regarding consumer rights, what one should be aware when buying products and or services from another member state, the legislation enforced in our country for his protection, how one can submit his complaint so that it can be investigated by the European Consumer Centre of Cyprus as well as other useful informatio n.

It is emphasised that the European Consumer Centre of Cyprus is funded by the European Union, hence actively proving its concern regarding matters related to the protection of the Cypriot consumer.

By the Decision of the Council of Ministers, dated 10th March 2004 a unit of European Networks for the Protection of the Consumer, the citizen and the business person was established within the Competition and Consumer Protection Service of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism. Apart from the European Consumer Centre, this unit is also a host of the following networks.

- The Cyprus SOLVIT Centre that is part of the SOLVIT Network. This Network is engaged in solving problems citizens and businessmen of the EU encounter due to the misapplication of the internal market legislation by the public authorities of the member states. It has been in operation since the 1st of May 2004 .

- The RAPEX Network is a Rapid Information Exchange System regarding hazardous products. The network informs member states of hazardous products that are located and withdrawn from the communal market. It is also operational since the 1st of May 2004 .

- The FIN-Net Network that is engaged with the financial cross border disputes of consumers. The Network's national contact point is expected to operate within 2006.

It's our ambition that this unit of European Networks will become a useful tool for consumer protection in our country and will help the average citizen trust to gain confidence in European values. At the same time it will act as an effective aid for more than two million visitors to our country originating mainly from EU member states.

Finally I would like to stress the great interest of the Government for a continuous improvement of the degree of consumer protection and also point out that we foresee in the cooperation and support of organised bodies as well as of consumers, because without their support it is not possible to achieve their adequate protectio n.

The Cypriot consumer must become more demanding and persistent with his choices he must reward those who respect him in issues regarding quality and price and punish those who seek to exploit him. The Government has actively proven that the protection of the consumer as well as his adequate and on time information is an everyday priority.

Concluding I would like to thank my friend Markos Kyprianou, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, who willingly responded to our invitation and is here with us today, to commemorate the opening of the European Consumer Centre of Cyprus. I also thank all of you for honouring us with your presence as well as the officers of the relevant service for the enthusiasm with which they perform their duties.

Speech by EU Commissioner Mr. Markos Kyprianou, at the opening of the European Consumer Centre in Cyprus

EUROPEAN CONSUMER CENTRE (ECC) IN CYPRUS
PUBLIC OPENING

NICOSIA , FRIDAY 10 JUNE 2005

SPEAKING POINTS

Ladies and Gentlemen ,

I am delighted to be here today to celebrate with you the opening of the European Consumer Centre in Cyprus .

First of all I would like to thank Ms Phrosso Hadjiluca and Mr Leontios Pericleous and their team for organising this event and for all the hard work that has been devoted to setting up the centre in such a short period of time.

This ceremony is the culmination of the strenuous efforts deployed over the last few months, and I hope it will mark the start of a long and fruitful co-operation with the Commission and with the other European Consumer Centres.

I would also like to thank Minister Lillikas. The co-location of four EU networks, SOLVIT, FIN-Net, RAPEX and the European Consumer Centre Network (ECC-Net) within the Competition and Consumer Protection Service of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism is a wise decisio n. These four networks complement each other. Their co-location will reinforce their synergies to the benefit of Cypriot citizens, and more broadly to other EU citizens.

The Cypriot European Consumer Centre belongs to a network covering 21 EU member states as well as Iceland and Norway . Such Centres provide consumers with a “one stop shop” for information and advice on shopping across borders. They also assist in resolving cross border complaints and disputes with traders, and help consumers gain access to appropriate Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes. The Centres also play an important role in raising consumer awareness of the existence and added value of ADR schemes.

Recognising consumers as essential, responsible economic actors in the Internal Market is one of the key principles of European consumer policy. Consumers should be empowered to make informed choices about the goods and services that they purchase. Their interests should be promoted and defended, particularly in view of the increasing complexity of the markets in which they operate. The scope and size of these markets has grown enormously over the past few years, not least due to the introduction of the Euro in 12 member states, the development of e-Commerce, and increased intra-EU mobility.

I want the Internal Market to work for consumers as well as it does for businesses. Confident consumers, capable and equipped to make informed choices, and able to defend themselves and to promote their own interests in increasingly complex markets, contribute to the competitiveness of the EU economy.

We know, however, that 45% of EU consumers are less confident in buying goods and services from a supplier in another Member State than at home. This figure rises to over 90% for cross-border, intra-EU internet shopping.

Over the past few years, a number of legislative measures have been introduced which seek to address this situation – for example, on general product safety and unfair commercial practices.

But however smartly designed, legislative measures will only deliver tangible benefits for consumers if they are properly and effectively enforced across the Union .

We have therefore taken steps at EU level to prevent rogue traders operating in one member state from targeting consumers in another. The recently adopted Regulation on consumer protection cooperation creates a network of national enforcement authorities across member states and enables them to take co-ordinated action against rogue traders in the most difficult cases.

But consumers themselves also have significant responsibilities in ensuring enforcement. They have a responsibility to know their rights and act on them; and when necessary to complain and seek redress. Consumer education, Alternative Dispute Resolution and proper redress mechanisms are necessary to enhance this role. The legislative proposal to develop ADR bodies in Cyprus constitutes an important step in this direction, and I hope it will be adopted soo n.

This network, and the Centre whose organisation and operation we are celebrating today, are key tools in providing consumers with direct help with cross-border problems and therefore building the confidence of European consumers to make the most of the opportunities offered by the Internal Market.

On behalf of the Commission, I would like to underline our commitment to the continued success of this network.

I wish the Cypriot ECC every success for the future.