CONSUMER POLICY

On 8 November 2013, Commissioner Mimica participated in the Citizens' Dialogue in Oldenburg, Germany, organised jointly by the European Commission, the European Parliament and the German Federal Government. The forum provided an excellent opportunity to meet consumers face-to-face, exchange views and discuss consumer policy issues of direct concern to them.

On 8 November 2013, Commissioner Mimica participated in the Citizens' Dialogue in Oldenburg, Germany, organised jointly by the European Commission, the European Parliament and the German Federal Government. The forum provided an excellent opportunity to meet consumers face-to-face, exchange views and discuss consumer policy issues of direct concern to them. The Commissioner was joined on the podium by

• Matthias Groote, MEP, Chair of the Committee for Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
• Dr. Renate Sommer, MEP

and

• Dr. Christian Grugel, MinDir, Head of the Consumer Policy Deparment at the German Federal Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection

Commissioner Mimica stressed the importance of consumer policy as an area where the EU can bring, real, tangible benefits for the citizens. He presented the shared vision of the Commissioners for integrating consumer interests into all relevant EU policies, to bring prices down and offer greater choice to consumers within competitive markets. Such benefits are all the more important in the current economic climate, because strong consumer demand is an essential driver for economic recovery and growth.

The Commissioner answered questions from citizens and welcomed ideas and suggestions on what they think is needed to further improve consumer policy across the European Union. Food and product safety, citizens' rights in the online environment and education of young consumers were amongst the main topics raised by the participants.

Click here to view the speech