We need to bring our understanding of key consumer issues up to date. Part of the new picture will be the recognition that there are many shared interests between consumers and producers. Better quality and service from producers means more business with consumers, and this leads to growth and prosperity for the whole community. And so consumer policy has to be seen as part of the broader framework of policies designed, on the one hand, to stimulate growth and employment and, on the other hand, to improve the quality of life of EU citizens. It is both a social and an economic policy.
Consumer confidence is central to our economies.
Without it, markets either collapse, as shown by the BSE crisis, or they fail to fully take-off, as we are now seeing in electronic commerce in Europe Globalisation, which means that goods and services may be sourced from anywhere in the world, has challenged consumer confidence to a certain extent. Of course, consumer policy also underpins the confidence of ever more health conscious and discriminating consumers. Addressing health and safety, price, choice, access, affordability and the relationship between consumer and retailer is central to overcoming barriers to consumer confidence. It seems clear that achieving this cannot be solely left to the market itself, but we need to mobilise business to provide best practice in the interest of consumers. The top priority is food safety, given that consumer confidence has been so badly shaken by the food scandals of the recent past.