Consumer organisations

working together

November 2007

The European Consumers Organisation Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs

Avenue de Tervueren, 36 -1040 Bruxelles Tel: 0032 2 743 15 90 - Fax: 0032 2 740 28 02

Email: consumers@beuc.eu www.beuc.org

Our daily cocktail of chemicals

Financial services

Representing consumer interests towards the EU institutions since 1962

40 members from 29 countries

Funded by members and European Commission

34 members of staff

BEUC

How we work together

The areas we work in: food, environment, safety, health, economic, legal

Circulate information to members through dedicated website

Expert groups

Expert meetings on priority areas

Collect research and data from members for position papers, brochures and press contacts

Information from new member states and accession countries is very important

Agree joint lobby and communication strategies: BEUC acts at EU level in Brussels, BEUC members at national level

BEUC Structure

The General Assembly is composed of 40 members from 29 European countries from EU and EEA. The GA determines general BEUC policy & priorities

The Executive includes our members from Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and United Kingdom. The Executive agrees how to implement the general policy

Altroconsumo (Italy)

Sveriges Konsumentråd – SK (Sweden)

Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios – OCU (Spain)

Polish Consumer Federation National Council (Poland)

Forbrugerradet (Denmark)

VZBV (Germany)

Which? (UK)

Consumentenbond (NL)

Test Achats (Belgium)

UFC - Que Choisir (France)

National Association for

Consumer Protection in

Hungary - NACPH

Sdruzeni obrany spotrebitelu

Ceske republiky (Czech

Republic)

Zveza Potrošnikov Slovenije

– ZPS (Slovenia)

Some key members

Membership criteria independence: non-governmental, not profit making,

independent of industry, trade unions, political parties and government

representative: working at national, regional and local level and across the broad range of consumer policy issues

active in: representation of consumer interests towards the government and other political decision-making bodies; consumer policy work and campaigning; representation of consumer interests in mass media; consumer information …

democratic: in structures and procedures

What BEUC does

lobbying & media relations

market surveillance

training & capacity building

strengthening awareness of availability of independent information to enable informed choices

addressing the demand for product testing

publications: annual report, memorandum for the Presidencies, brochures

How we work together

85% of the legislation affecting consumers is decided at European level

Brussels has the largest Press Corps in the world

15.000 different organisations trying to influencethe process

1 consumer representative for every 100 businessrepresentatives

Why Brussels is so important

EUROPEAN COMMISSIONproposes, manages, regulates

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTcomments, amends, decides

COUNCIL OF MINISTERSnegotiates, decides

MEMBER STATEimplements

EUROPEAN COURTadjudicates

ECONOMIC AND

SOCIAL COMMITTEErepresents economic

and social groups

COMMITTEE OF

THE REGIONSrepresents local

governments

EUROPEAN COUNCILsets the agenda

The Institutions

conciliation

College of Commissioners adopts proposal

Consultation of other DGs

Commission prepares proposal

1st reading

2nd readingEP Plenary

EP Committees

European Parliament

Common position

Working groups

Council of Ministers

European ParliamentCouncil of Ministers

Law

TIMING IS KEY

Council of Ministers European Parliament

Council of Ministers

1st reading

2nd reading

BEUC Priorities

Roaming

Consumer Credit

conciliation

Nutritional labelling

Single Payment Area

Review of the consumer acquis

TWF

Consumer policy strategy

The European Commission

Key Commissioners for Consumers

Neelie KroesCompetition

Markos KyprianouHealth

Stavros DimasEnvironment

Charlie McCreevyInternal Marketand Services

Jacques BarrotTransport

Meglena KunevaConsumer policy

European Commission

College of 27 Commissioners – one per country

Each of Directorate Generals and services works to Commissioner

Commissioners served by cabinet or private office

Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate General for

Health and Consumer Affairs (SANCO):

Robert Madelin

Consumer programme and strategy for 2007- 2013

A high level of consumer protection

Effective enforcement of consumer protection rules

Integration of consumer policy in other policy areas

Needs of consumer organisations in new member states, especially training

Desk officers

Directors, Directors General

Cabinet or responsible portfolio Commissioner

Other cabinets

Other Commission services

Allies

The European Commission: who to lobby

How best to approach the European Commission

Research data & facts from as many members as possible - European view

Know opponent’s case and provide counter arguments

Follow and influence the internal negotiating process within the Commission

How best to approach the European Commission

Build up relationship with desk-officer, maybe invite for visit and keep in regular contact

Well documented/written and creatively presented position papers

Articles in key media, at crucial times- before College of Commissioners meeting on Wednesdays

The Council

Council of Ministers of the European Union

Member states represented by ministers

Co-decision with the European Parliament

Six month rotating Presidency, but troïka

approach (Portugal since July 2007)

Closed working procedures

Key Councils for Consumers

Competitiveness Council - Consumer Credit

Employment, Social Affairs, Consumer Affairs Council - Consumer Policy Strategy

Agriculture and Fisheries Council - GMOs, CAP

Environment Council - Chemicals

Transport Council - Denied boarding, Passenger rights

The fact that consumer issues come up in a lot of Councils makes it more difficult for us to influence the process

The Council

The Presidency rotates every six months

Ministersof the Member States

Permanent Representatives Committee(COREPER)

Council Working Groups

Comité des représentants permanents prepares the agenda for the Council meetings

Number of votes by Member State

29 29 29 29

27 27

1413

12 12 12 12 12

10 10 10

7 7 7 7 7

4 4 4 4 43

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

GERMANY FRANCE UNITED KINGDOM ITALY SPAIN POLAND

ROMANIA NETHERLANDS GREECE PORTUGAL BELGIUM CZECH REPUBLIC

HUNGARY SWEDEN AUSTRIA BULGARIA DANMARK SLOVAKIA

FINLAND IRELAND LITHUANIA LATVIA SLOVENIA ESTONIA

CYPRUS LUXEMBOURG MALTA

345 votes in total. To reach a qualified majority 255 votes are required.

For rejection, 90 votes against, at least, are required.

Council Working Groups

- Member State Officials- Attachés

27 Delegationscomposed of

Tour de table= 135 minutes

How best to approach the Council

At an early stage with research data & facts from the national perspective

Build up relationship with Ministry officials, maybe invite for visit and keep in regular contact

Well presented position papers- linked to the legislative context

The European Parliament

European Parliament: Seats per country

Number of seats by country

99

78

78

54

54

35

2724

242424241918181414

1413

1397

6665

78

Germany

France

Italy

United Kindgom

Spain

Poland

Romania

Netherlands

Greece

Czech Republic

Belgium

Hungary

Portugal

Sw eden

Austria

Bulgaria

Slovakia

Denmark

Finland

Ireland

Lithuania

Latvia

Slovenia

Cyprus

Estonia

Luxembourg

Malta

785 Members

European Parliament 2004-2009

277

218

106

44

42

4123 2014 EPP- ED

PES

ALDE

EUL- NGL

Greens- ALE

UEN

IND/DEM

ITS

NI

European Parliament

Plenary session meets in Strasbourg20 Committees usually meet in Brussels

Key powers Approves nominee for Commission President Approves candidate Commissioners- therefore

hearings Approves Commission work programme Adopts EU budget Amends Commission Proposals for legislation Limited right of initiative But not much power regarding the CAP, foreign

policy or tax NGOs can make use of possibility of Urgency

debates

National delegations

0

10

20

30

40

50

Germany United Kingdom Italy Spain France Poland

Czech Republic Hungary Greece Portugal Romania Slovakia

Netherlands Austria Belgium Sweden Ireland Bulgaria

Finland Slovenia Cyprus Latvia Luxembourg Lithuania

Malta Denmark Estonia

EPP (European Peoples Party) – 2004-2009

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

France Spain Germany United Kingdom Italy

Romania Portugal Poland Hungary Greece

Netherlands Belgium Bulgaria Austria Sweden

Denmark Slovakia Malta Finland Estonia

Lithuania Czech Republic Slovenia Luxembourg Ireland

National delegationsPES (European Socialist Party) –

2004-2009

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Italy United Kingdom France Romania Bulgaria Germany

Lithuania Belgium Finland Netherlands Poland Denmark

Sweden Estonia Hungary Slovenia Spain Austria

Cyprus Ireland Latvia Luxembourg

National delegationsALDE (European Liberal Democrats)

– 2004-2009

National delegationsGreens – 2004-2009

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Germany France United Kingdom Netherlands Spain

Austria Belgium Italy Denmark Finland

Latvia Luxembourg Sweden

Key moments/targets for lobbying

Before Committee vote

Before Plenary vote

Most impact during 1st reading, less during 2nd reading

2 key Committees for consumer issues:

Environment, public health and food safety

Chairman: Miroslav OUZKY (EPP, CZ)

Internal Market and consumer protection

Chairman: Arlene McCARTHY (PES, UK)

How the EP works

Lead Committee appoints a rapporteur to draft an opinion on a Commission proposal

Each political group represented in the Committee appoints a shadow rapporteur to co-ordinate their group’s amendments to the Commission proposal

Other relevant Committees can also prepare opinions to the Commission proposal; they in turn appoint rapporteurs and shadow rapporteurs

Opinion-providing Committee amendments are adopted by the lead Committee

Committee political group leaders - ‘co-ordinators’ - are key targets to lobby

The Consumer and Health Intergroup

An informal group including MEPs from all parties, and all Committees in the European Parliament

Supported by three political groups: EPP, PES, Greens

Co-chairs: Pilar Ayuso (EPP, Spain) and Beatrice Patrie (PES, France)

Meet in Strasbourg during plenary sessions

Discuss key consumer issues on European Parliament agenda

With speakers from the Commission, Council, business, consumer groups

Meet and maintain contacts with national MEPs

One meeting is not enough, regular (2/more times a year) briefing sessions in your offices will be appreciated

Important to communicate the same messages at national and EU level creatively, factually & in a way that’s easy to understand

Letters to national MEPs

Invite them to events you are organising; try to get media coverage

Use the national press to get messages to national MEPs

How consumer organisations lobby MEPs