PURPOSE: to establish a “Consumer” Programme for the period 2014-2020.
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) No 254/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on a multiannual consumer programme for the years 2014-20 and repealing Decision No 1926/2006/EC.
CONTENT: within the framework of the new programming period 2014-2020, the European Parliament and the Council established a mulitannual programme pluriannuel entitled “Consumers”.
General objective: the general objective of the Programme is to ensure a high level of consumer protection, to empower consumers and to place the consumer at the heart of the internal market, within the framework of an overall strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
The Programme will do so by contributing to:
· protecting the health, safety and the legal and economic interests of consumers;
· promoting their right to information, education and to organise themselves in order to safeguard their interests, and supporting the integration of consumer interests into other policy areas.
The Programme shall complement and monitor the policies of Member States.
Content of actions by objective: the Regulation outlines the scope of the action by specific objective. These objectives would be the following:
· Objective 1 — Safety to consolidate and enhance product safety through effective market surveillance throughout the Union;
· Objective 2— Consumer information and education and support to consumer organisations, including taking into account the specific needs of vulnerable consumers;
· Objective 3— Rights and redress through smart regulatory action and improving access to simple, efficient, expedient and low-cost redress (including alternative dispute resolution);
· Objective 4 —Enforcement by strengthening cooperation between national enforcement bodies and by supporting consumers with advice.
The realisation of each of these objectives shall be measured by means of the indicator outlined in the Regulation (Annex II). The scope of the actions themselves is outlined in Annex I of the Regulation.
Financial envelope: the financial envelope for the implementation of the Programme shall be EUR 188 829 000 from 2014 to 2020.
Grants: the Regulation provides guidance on the type of organisations or authorities that can receive EU aid, in particular, consumer orgnisations active at the EU-level as described in the Regulation as well as international organisations that promote principles and policies compatible with the objectives of the Programme (notably non-profit-making organisations). Equally eligible for grants under the Programme are Union-wide bodies for the development of codes of conduct, best practices and guidelines for price comparison, product quality and sustainability.
Ceilings for some grants: the Regulation fixes a maximum ceiling for some grants and clarifies the scope of particular actions such as exceptional utility.
It otherwise caps at 12% the amount allocated to cover the expenses pertaining to preparatory, monitoring, control, audit and evaluation activities as well as technical and administrative assistance within the Programme.
Methods of implementation: the Commission shall be responsible for implementing the Programme by annual work programmes in the form of implementing acts adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure. The annual work programmes will cover the actions to be undertaken, including indicative allocation of financial resources and the time schedule of the planned calls for tenders and calls for proposals.
Participation of third countries: the programme is open to the participation of third countries subject to the terms outlined in the Regulation.
Consistency and complementarity with other policies: the Commission shall, in cooperation with the Member States, ensure overall consistency and complementarity between the Programme and other relevant policies, instruments and actions of the Union.
Evaluation and dissemination: the Commission should produce, by 30 September 2017, an evaluation report reviewing the achievement of the objectives of all the measures (at the level of results and impacts) and the state of play regarding the implementation of the eligible actions.
For the purposes of taking into account the situation whereby the evaluation report concludes that the specific actions set out in Annex I have not been implemented by 31 December 2016 and cannot be implemented by the end of the Programme, the Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts to amend Annex I by removing the specific actions concerned. If necessary, and no later than 31 December 2017, the Commission should present a legislative proposal or adopt a delegated act according to the methods set out in the Regulation.
Annexes: Annex I of the Regulation outlines the types of actions eligible for the implementation of the Programme; an Annex II lists the indicators intended to measure the effectiveness of the implementation of the actions.
Repeal: Decision No 1926/2006/ECis repealed with effect from 1 January 2014.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 21.03.2014. The Regulation shall apply from 1 January 2014.
DELEGATED ACTS: the Commission may adopt delegated acts as regards the adaptation of indicators (Annex II) as well as those concerning the amendment of Annex I by the deletion of certain actions in line with the results of an evaluation report produced by the Commission. The European Parliament or the Council may raise objections in regard to a delegated act within two months of notification of that act (this period may be extended by two months). If the European Parliament or the Council make objections, the delegated act will not enter into force.