• National level
• European level
• Training courses for staff of consumer organizations
• The Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD)

The Commission attaches great importance to working closely with consumer organisations as representatives of consumers, and to support them in the work that they do to ensure that consumers are aware of their rights and are able to take advantage of them in practice.

The proper involvement of consumer organisations in EU policies is a key element of producing better and more effective consumer protection regulation.

Policy-making requires the participation of all stakeholders. This is why the Commission wants consumer groups and individual consumers to help us to further develop EU consumer policy and to fully take into account consumer interests in all European policies that concern them.

National level

There are many consumer organisations in Europe of different size, background and capacity, according to a country’s history and the conditions found there.

You will find detailed information about national consumer organisations in each country profile currently available.

These country profiles contain, in addition to the list of national consumer organisations at national level, information on:

• criteria which define what a consumer organisation is at national level
• public funding of consumer organisations
• fora or bodies which bring together consumer organisations and public authorities
• national policies related to consumer organisation

Click on each country profile to know more about each national situation:

EU Member States

Bulgaria	Österreich	Belgique/ België	Kypros	Ceská Republika
Deutschland	Danmark	Eesti	Ellás	España
Republika Hrvatska	Finland/Suomi	France	Magyarország	Ireland
Italia	Lietuva	Luxembourg	Latvija	Malta
Nederland	Polska	Portugal	Romania	Sverige
Slovenija	Slovensko	United Kingdom

Other EEA Countries

Ísland	Norge

Disclaimer: Please note that the information contained in those documents was supplied by the relevant national authorities. Those documents were produced at different dates, and may not reflect the latest developments in their relative fields. Please check the exact date of production in each country profile. Those documents may not in any circumstances be regarded as stating an official position of the Commission.

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European level

European consumer organisations are federations of national consumer organisations from the EU. They make the voice of the European consumer heard and try to influence the development of EU policy, promoting and defending the interests of all European consumers.

At present, two European organisations are eligible for receiving Community funding to help them to carry out their activities: ANEC and BEUC. The criteria for funding are to be found in Annex II 5-6 of Decision No 1926/2006/EC.

European Association for the Coordination of Consumer Representation in Standardisation (ANEC)

• ANEC is the European consumer voice in standardisation, representing and defending consumer interests in the process of standardisation and certification, also in policy and legislation related to standardisation.
  
  Avenue de Tervuren 32, box 27
  B-1040 Brussels
  Tel: + 32 2 743 24 70
  Fax: + 32 2 706 54 30
  E-mail: anec@anec.eu
  Website: www.anec.eu

Bureau Européen des Unions des Consommateurs (BEUC)

• BEUC, the European Consumers Organisation has a membership of 42 well respected, independent national consumer organisations from 31 European countries (EU, EEA and applicant countries). BEUC acts as the umbrella group in Brussels for these organisations and our main task is to represent our members and defend the interests of all Europe’s consumers.
  
  Rue d'Arlon, 80 Bte 1
  B - 1040 Bruxelles
  Tel: +32 2 743 15 90
  Fax: +32 2 740 28 02
  E-mail: consumers@beuc.eu
  Website: www.beuc.org

Other Organisations working on the promotion of consumer interests

• Confédération des Organisations familiales de la Communauté Européenne (COFACE)
  
  Rue de Londres, 17
  B-1050 Bruxelles
  Tel: + 32 2 511 41 79
  Fax: + 32 2 514 47 73
  E-mail: coface@brutele.be
  Website: www.coface-eu.org


• Communauté Européenne des Coopératives (Euro Coop) - European Community of Consumer Coopératives
  
  Rue Archimède, 17
  B-1000 Bruxelles
  Tel: + 32 2 285 00 70
  Fax: + 32 2 231 07 57
  E-mail: info@eurocoop.org
  Website: www.eurocoop.org

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Training courses for Staff of Consumer Organizations

Consumer organisations' involvement in EU policy-making is a clear priority of the Commission as set out in the Consumer Policy Strategy. Specific actions, such as training, aim at improving the effectiveness of consumer organisations. This is particularly relevant in view of the pursuit of the "integration" of consumer concerns in all EU policy areas.

• If they are to be stronger at national and European level, consumer organisations should work together on certain issues, exchange best practices and reinforce their networking.
• DG SANCO has, therefore, organised training courses for the personnel of consumer organisations in Management, Lobbying and European Consumer Law. These courses are given by professionals and are open to personnel of consumer organisations in the 25 EU Member States, the candidate countries and the EEA.

For further information and on-line registration: www.trace-beuc.org

Report on the impact of the training courses for European Consumer Associations organised by BEUC , the European Consumers Association, over a 3 year period (2004-2006)

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The Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD)

The Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) is a forum of US and EU consumer organisations which develops joint consumer policy recommendations to the US government and the European Commission to promote consumer interest in EU and US policy making and in global issues. So far, a total of 40 European and 30 US consumer organisations have joined the initiative founded in 1998. The Commission provides financial and coordination support for the TACD.

Each year, alternately in the US and the EU, the TACD organises an Annual Meeting to discuss its Resolutions with the European Commission and the US authorities. In addition to the Annual Meeting, the TACD regularly organises thematic conferences on themes such as nanotechnologies, diet and obesity, or intellectual property.

Basing on those exchanges, the TACD issues recommendations which call for a number of actions from the EU governments, the European Commission and the US authorities, and aim at increasing the involvement of civil society in transatlantic policy-making. TACD is also a member of the advisory group to the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC).

The TACD is organised by Consumers International which provides the TACD Secretariat.

For further information on this topic, please consult the TACD website.

The 10^th TACD annual meeting was held on 9 June 2009 in Brussels.

• Speech by Meglena Kuneva, European Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue 10^th Annual Meeting, Brussels, 9 June 2009.
• Commission services' responses to the TACD 2008 recommendations

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