"Have a Safe Christmas" web chat with EU Commissioner for Consumer Policy Kuneva !

EU Commissioner for Consumer Policy Kuneva, has the following message for you.

"I have now been European Commissioner for Consumer Policy for almost a year, and I am convinced there has never been a better time to be a European consumer.

Information is a key element for making you, as Europe's citizens, fully aware of your fundamental rights as consumers. But, awareness alone is not enough. You should be able to play your full role as consumers; confident and able to discuss consumer issues. To this end, I plan to set up a web-chat. We at the Commission must be directly connected to your daily lives and we cannot do that without talking with you.

The subject of our first discussion will be product safety. A number of recent incidents with dangerous toys have created legitimate concerns over the safety of some of the products in the market place.

We cannot compromise on safety. But at the same time we need to be realistic about the real level of risk. I would like to share with you the priorities as I see them in finding the right balance between maximising consumer benefits in terms of price and choice, and minimising consumer risk.

• Are the current safety laws good enough?
• Do you have enough information on where and how to complain?
• Is the returning of products too difficult?
• How confident are you when shopping online?

I believe that after our chat on the 5th December we will be more aware of how you see the problems and the possible solutions – it will be an opportunity to bring forward new ideas on which we can all build. It will be your chance to get involved, to become more active and to communicate your ideas and suggestions to me. I very much hope you will take part."

Basic guidance on the Chat:

• WHEN? 5th December 2007, from 17:00 – 19:00
• WHERE? On this page
• WHO? Everybody is invited to participate!
• HOW? Language: For your questions to be understood by a large amount of users, you might wish to write in EN, but if not possible you can use FR, DE, IT, and BG
  Log in: Register with your name and e-mail address.

Tags: EU Commission Consumer Policy, product safety, Commissioner Kuneva, Toy Safety