9 November Consumer Council

Date: 16/11/1995

CONSUMER ministers agreed in principle to ban advertisements which make unfair comparisons between rivals products. “It's possible to say that the American Express card offers a lower discount than Visa. What they cannot say is that Dash washes whiter than other detergents. This has not been proven,” explained Consumer Affairs Commissioner Emma Bonino after the meeting.

DRAFT rules which would force EU shopkeepers to show prices of products in litres and kilos were examined for the first time by ministers. Discussions centred primarily on whether or not small shops should be granted an open-ended exemption from the proposed obligation to display the cost per unit of measure. The issue will be discussed again at the next meeting of consumer ministers.

THE European Commission should study whether or not an EU-wide information campaign aimed at teaching consumers about their rights is needed, said ministers. The move reflects a shift in emphasis from law-making to education programmes seen in Bonino's three-year consumer action plan launched earlier this month.

THE Council told the Commission that its ongoing study into credit systems in the EU was of vital importance. Ministers said they were particularly concerned about cooling-off periods, during which customers may change their minds about contracts they have signed with their banks. Bonino made it clear in her action plan that financial services would become the focus of much Commission attention over the next three years.

MINISTERS ordered the European Commission to look into advertisements for “miracle products” and report back to them by next November. Emma Bonino said her directorate-general would scrutinise the truth-value of promises of miracle cures for bad skin, weight problems and lost lovers, among other things.