The European Commission has today launched a call for expression of interest for new members of the Financial Services User Group (FSUG). The renewal of the Group is part of the Commission's efforts to give consumers a strong voice in the EU policy making in financial services. The Group will advise the Commission on its ongoing work on the Capital Markets Union, with a particular focus on the distribution of retail investment products. It will also weigh in on the implementation of the Commission's forthcoming Retail Financial Services Action Plan.

The Financial Services User Group was set up by the Commission in 2010 (now recast by Decision C(2017) 359). with the objective of involving users of financial services in policy-making. It is composed of 20 members representing various users of financial services, such as consumers, retail investors, microenterprises or trade unions. Besides experts from stakeholder organisations, the Commission encourages independent experts, e.g. from academia, to apply. The new members will operate over a four-year mandate.

The deadline for submitting applications is 21 April 2017.