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Reports and Memo's
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Brussels, october 1995
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Decisive years for european consumer protection
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Consumer policy to be integrated in the CAP
Already in 1963 EURO COOP in a article published in the agricultural review « Agriforum », stressed that an agricultural policy without or against the consumers could not be successful. However, neither the continual criticism of the self-sufficient CAP, nor the present resolutions of the Council in any way contributed to include the consumer policy in the Community policies.
Nevertheless the consumers are represented on the advisory committees on agricultural market organisations but their influence there is almost nil. Had this not been the case, the CAP would not have deteriorated to such an extent in the course of its existence. Consumer influence on these committees amounts to hardly more than protests against decisions that often have already been adopted without having consulted these committees, or in protest against the demands of the farmer lobby but the resistance opposed has always proved to be politically too weak. On some occasions, together with the trade operators, they were successful in their objections to excessive import restrictions and concerning better quality standards. The consumers had even no say in the sales' promotion programmes because the agricultural producers insisted that it was their money that was going to be used for that purpose. This was particularly the case in the annual programmes for the promotion of the marketing of milk.
In 1996 the committees on agricultural market organisations will be given a new composition and following the assessment of 500 answers to the questionnaires sent by the Commission to a total number of 1.005 members of these committees and maybe even reformed. The consumer organisations must, and will insist on the need for reform.
These committees could only function satisfactorily in future if they were set up on an equal footing as is the case for the other advisory committees in the non-agricultural sector. Should the producers however obtain once again 51% of the seats and chair the meetings, then the consumers should refuse to take part in these committees in order not to continue playing the part of pseudo-democratic and economic partners of the Commission. Moreover these committees should no longer consist of 50 members but 20 only and the Commission should take the chairmanship because it is the Commission that consults the business groups and these committees should not serve as a « self-service shop » for agricultural producers.
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[ TABLE OF CONTENTS ]
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