President Türk highlights concern for consumers as one of the most important topics prior to European Parliament elections

Ljubljana, 11.5.2009  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, attended the presentation of a guide issued by the Slovenian Consumer Association titled "Encourage consumer confidence – Guide for (future) members of the European Parliament in five steps".

The Guide presents the efforts undertaken by the European Consumers' Organisation in areas where the European Union substantially interferes with consumers' positions and rights. In his opening address the President of the Republic pointed out that consumers' rights are among the most important subjects for discussion prior to the elections to the European Parliament.

The European Consumers' Organisation is concerned with the collective safety of European consumers, said President Türk, adding that this is a key issue. In this context, he expressed his concern over the fact that the electoral campaign for the European parliamentary elections has not devoted enough attention to European topics and is always in danger of becoming the subject of internal political discussions on topics which have not much in common with European institutions. According to the Slovenian President the main focus of debate should be on European issues. He also called upon the Consumer Association to organise more such debates in the future, where candidates for the European Parliament will be able to explain how they intend to represent the interests of Slovenian consumers.

The Slovenian consumer is an aware consumer, to an extent as a result of the efforts made by the Slovenian Consumer Association, said President Türk. He highlighted that consumer awareness is also crucial in other areas, such as concern for the environment. The consumer defines the market and market demand, which has a decisive impact on supply, and further, supply has an impact on the environment, and this is the reason why the environmental awareness of consumers is of significant importance for achieving sustainable development. The Slovenian President also mentioned the threat of digital consumption and classical issues such as quality standards and food prices. He emphasised that all consumer-related issues should attract much more public attention.

Concern for the consumer is our common concern, and there should be no political differences in this area, stated President Türk. He added that the national interest, a widely mentioned topic, could best be discussed in the very area of concern for the consumer, and explained that this interest is very clear and common to all political orientations. The Slovenian President therefore proposed that the elected Slovenian members of the European Parliament should act as a national team in this area.