Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-03-23-Speech-3-223-000"
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"en.20110323.21.3-223-000"2
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"Mr President, next year we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the single market. We have to ensure that the single market brings benefits to consumers and to businesses. Over two years of negotiations have shown that it is politically very difficult to reach an agreement on the whole directive on the basis of what was proposed by the Commission. Many of you do not want to see – and rightly so – a decrease in the level of national consumer protection.
We are now well into the third year of discussion on this piece of legislation. I believe it is high time for the co-legislators to find a solution. In this regard, I am particularly grateful to your committees, to the rapporteurs, to Mr Schwab and Ms Wallis and to the shadow rapporteurs for their hard work in search of a compromise. The Council agreed on a general approach at the beginning of the year. It has decided to considerably narrow the scope of the proposal and to specifically target distant and off-premises contracts.
The Commission believes that the Council’s general approach is a good starting point in our search for a good compromise. In broad terms, it is consistent with the aim of improving the functioning of the internal market while creating added value for consumers. I know that, by your amendments, you seek additional improvements. I can see many reasonable suggestions for further increases in consumer protection and, as I have said before, the Consumer Rights Directive should be a rights directive. It should be worthy of that name.
To give you some examples: I could easily except your Amendment 122, which ensures that consumers will not be charged for sending back goods after a withdrawal if they are worth more than EUR 40. I am also not opposed to the extension of the withdrawal period to one year if the consumer was not informed of his right of withdrawal (Amendment 116). I could also support a harmonised solution for fighting so-called internet cost traps (Paragraph 1(a) and (b) of Amendment 107).
It will not come as a surprise to you when I say that I cannot accept all your amendments which are now on the table. For example, Amendment 141. Even if my goal is also to serve the internal market, it is going a step too far to oblige distance traders to supply goods or deliver services in any other Member State.
After all this time, and notwithstanding the differences which do remain, I see light at the end of the tunnel. I am confident that an acceptable and balanced compromise is now within our reach. I will do what I can to help you reach such a compromise."@en1
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