Labour MEP for Yorkshire & Humber Richard Corbett is raising awareness of consumer rights in Europe ahead of this Friday's 10th anniversary of European Consumer Day.
The event is organised by the European Economic and Social Committee and aims to promote confidence about cross-border shopping for Europe 's 490 million consumers.
Richard, who has taken a lead role in campaigning against scams in the European Parliament, highlighted the importance of Europe-wide consumer protection.
He said: "It was European legislation that capped the cost of using mobile phones abroad, which made Apple reduce the cost of Itunes so we were paying the same as our European neighbours and which ended price-fixing by breweries and in the car market.
"It is important to remember that the consumer is the driving force behind the single European market and that we all have rights and are protected by Europe-wide laws which aim to prevent unfair business practices. European legislation makes it illegal for businesses to make false or misleading claims about their products in all member states. New laws on chemicals mean that the same high standards excluding harmful substances from use in manufacture are applied across Europe.
"The internet has made cross-border shopping possible for everyone and consumers in Yorkshire can feel confident about shopping anywhere in the EU thanks to pan-European legislation that applies equal standards across the whole of Europe."
- European Consumer Day is organised by the European Economic and Social Committee in conjunction with the European Commission and the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU.
- For more information about European Consumer Day 2009 please visit http://eesc.europa.eu/sections/int/index_en.asp?id=1470007inten
- For more information about dirrectory scams please visit www.richardcorbett.org.uk/directoryscams.htm
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Press enquiries: Contact Luke Thorne, Press and Communications Officer to Richard Corbett MEP
- phone 0113 245 8987
- e-mail luke@richardcorbett.org.uk
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