Test-Achats / Test-Aankoop is an independent association dedicated to the promotion of the interests of consumers.  We are entirely funded by our approximately 350,000 members, who are subscribers to our consumer information magazine.  Test-Achats / Test-Aankoop is a member of the executive board of the European Consumers’ Organisation (BEUC), and a member of Consumers’ International (CI) and International Consumer Research and Testing (ICRT).

The Belgian Presidency comes at a very sensitive time, in the context of consumer issues.

The proposed Consumer Rights Directive is a very "hot topic" for the Belgian Presidency. The overall level of protection offered by the current proposal is too low to justify maximum harmonisation and could lead to the removal or reduction of important consumer protection rights in many Member States, including Belgium. We very much welcomed the announcement by Commissioner Reding in the European Parliament that full harmonisation across the whole Directive was “no longer an option” and accept that the degree of harmonisation should depend in each case on the benefit to consumers. It is important that the Belgian Presidency guides the work of the Council to identify, case by case, the level of harmonisation needed. It is also essential that any political agreement reached  ensures that this legislation is as flexible and ‘future-proof’ as possible, as well as providing a solid legal framework for a genuinely high level of protection.

A new digital agenda is forecast in the EU 2020 strategy.  The process to decide the European digital strategy for the next five years will take place during the Belgian Presidency. With our EU umbrella organisation, BEUC, we have prepared a set of 10 horizontal principles to be applied across all the sectors and policy areas that will ensure that European consumers are empowered in their digital lives. 

Under the Belgian Presidency an agreement on the proposed Regulation on Food Information to Consumers may be achieved. Consumers need clear, easy-to-read and unambiguous information including on the nutritional quality of food, food allergens and country of origin. All labelling rules need to be mandatory.

An efficient collective redress mechanism is essential to enable groups of consumers to secure compensation for a loss resulting from the same trader by combining their claims into one single action.  This issue will not be on the table of the Belgian Presidency for legislative action.  However, Test-Achats calls on the European Commission to come forward with a legislative proposal for European group action as soon as possible. Test-Achats together with BEUC will hold a conference on 15 November 2010 supported by the Belgian Presidency entitled: “Group Action: a necessity for consumers”.