Decision No 283/1999/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 January 1999 establishing a general framework for Community activities in favour of consumers

DECISION No 283/1999/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 25 January 1999 establishing a general framework for Community activities in favour of consumers
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 129a thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (2),
Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 189b of the Treaty (3),
(1) Whereas Community action contributes to achieving a high level of consumer protection and thus also contributes to promoting economic and social cohesion in the Community and to strengthening consumer confidence, which is essential for the smooth functioning of the internal market;
(2) Whereas these objectives cannot be achieved effectively without the cooperation and participation of all the institutions and parties concerned;
(3) Whereas the Community is committed in particular to giving new impetus to its action in favour of consumers and their health in order to enable them to become a driving and innovatory force;
(4) Whereas the statement of the European Council meeting in Luxembourg on 12 and 13 December 1997 on food safety recognises that everything must be done to restore public confidence, severely shaken by the BSE crisis; whereas activities to be undertaken within a general framework are essential for achieving this aim;
(5) Whereas the Community needs to plan the actions required by grouping them together in a general framework that identifies the activities and areas of activity which must be tackled as a matter of priority in order to achieve maximum effectiveness throughout the period covered;
(6) Whereas this general framework aims in particular to bring together the initiatives carried out for the benefit of consumers in order to optimise their effects for consumers;
(7) Whereas this general framework must provide both for initiatives taken by the Community, in compliance with the principle of subsidiarity, and for actions to support organisations and bodies which work to defend consumer interests at Community or national level;
(8) Whereas the initiatives undertaken by the Community and the actions to support other private or public initiatives complement one another and should form part of an integrated approach; whereas it is necessary to strengthen the bodies and organisations that are active in the area of consumer protection so that they can be a more effective driving force for making consumers aware of the priorities set by the Community;
(9) Whereas the other policies of the Community are also responsible and accountable for the integration of consumer interests and should also contribute in financial terms to the implementation of policy in the field of consumer protection;
(10) Whereas the implementation of this general framework should make it possible to take better account of the interests of consumers in the other relevant policies of the Community, and should ensure the development of consumer participation in the standardisation process;
(11) Whereas a harmonised approach to matters related to the protection of consumers and their health is indispensable and whereas this general framework is to provide the necessary financial support to ensure the provision of high-quality independent scientific advice, globally recognised risk-assessment methods and effective control and inspection methods; whereas the Community also has at its disposal the expertise of the Joint Research Centre;
(12) Whereas this general framework is open to the participation of the associated countries of central and eastern Europe in accordance with the relevant European Agreements or their Additional Protocols, and also to Cyprus in accordance with procedures to be agreed, as well as to the EFTA/EEA countries on the basis of additional appropriations in accordance with the rules set out in the Agreement on the European Economic Area;
(13) Whereas action under this general framework should also contribute to promoting the interests of consumers at international level;
(14) Whereas it is necessary to evaluate past achievements and draw up a policy priority programme to implement this general framework in order to help achieve maximum effectiveness throughout the period covered; whereas an action plan should be included;
(15) Whereas it is necessary to ensure that the interests of consumers are represented at Community level and to provide significant support to European organisations and bodies which represent the interests of consumers effectively and actively;
(16) Whereas it is necessary, at the same time, to support organisations and bodies which are active at national or regional level by encouraging them to take part in concerted action in the areas recognised as priorities;
(17) Whereas it is therefore necessary to set out the arrangements for the financial support provided by the Community to the organisations and bodies that are representative of consumer interests, out of a constant concern for maximum transparency and for effectiveness in the use of the funds allocated by the Community;
(18) Whereas a modus vivendi was concluded on 20 December 1994 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission concerning the implementing measures for acts adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 189b of the Treaty (4);
(19) Whereas it is necessary to lay down selection criteria for the provision of financial support;
(20) Whereas it is necessary to establish effective methods for evaluation and monitoring and to make provision for informing the target groups concerned in an appropriate way;
(21) Whereas the implementation of the activities provided for under this general framework must be evaluated in the light of the experience gained in the first three years;
(22) Whereas this Decision lays down, for the whole of the planned duration, a financial framework constituting the principal point of reference, within the meaning of point 1 of the Declaration by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission of 6 March 1995 (5), for the budgetary authority in the annual budgetary procedure,