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Consumer protection: cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws

2011/0001(COD)

PURPOSE: to update the contents of the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 on consumer protection cooperation to reflect recent legislative developments in the field of consumer protection.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) No 954/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws.

CONTENT: following an agreement with the European Parliament at first reading, the Council adopted a Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 on consumer protection cooperation to reflect recent legislative developments in the field of consumer protection.

The amending Regulation seeks to maintain the effectiveness of Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 with regard to cooperation between the national authorities responsible for the application of consumer protection legislation, but also to ensure that the Regulation continues to guarantee that there is no discrimination between intra-EU and national transactions as far as the effectiveness with which the transactions are undertaken by the competent national authorities is concerned.

To achieve these objectives, the new Regulation seeks to update the content of the Regulation’s annex in such a way as to reflect recent developments in consumer protection legislation.

From a practical point of view, the redundant provisions in the annex are deleted and replaced by up-to-date references to the new legislation.

The amending Regulation introduces a revision clause: by 31 December 2014, the Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament and to the Council which shall assess the effectiveness and operational mechanisms of this Regulation and thoroughly examine the possible inclusion in the Annex of additional laws that protect consumers’ interests. The report shall be based on an external evaluation and extended consultation of all relevant stakeholders, and shall be accompanied, where appropriate, by a legislative proposal.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 07/10/2011.