 BMELV

1. Consumer Protection Page 1 Защита прав потребителей в Федеративной Республике Германия Dr. Andreas Kliemant Unit Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection German Embassy Moscow International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

2. Consumer protection worldwide Page 2 • President John F. Kennedy: • Special message to Congress on protecting consumer interest, 15 March 1962 “All of us are consumers. All of us deserve the right to be protected against fradulent or misleading advertisements and labels...” www.jfklibrary.org International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

3. Consumer protection Germany Page 3 • Federal Minister Ilse Aigner: “Consumer policy must create transparency, ensure legal certainty and guarantee health protection.” International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

4. Page 4 Presentation of the Ministry >> Structure of theBMELV Federal Minister Ilse Aigner Minister‘s Office Press Cabinet, Parliament and Protocol Affairs Public Relations and Internet Communication and Speeches Parliamentary State Secretary Peter Bleser State Secretary Dr. Robert Kloos Parliamentary State Secretary Dr. Gerd Müller Directorate-General 1 Directorate-General 2 Directorate-General 3 Directorate-General 4 Directorate-General 5 Directorate-General 6 Central Affairs Consumer Policy Nutrition Food Safety Animal Health Rural Development and Agricultural Markets Bio-Based Economy, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry EU Policy International Cooperation Fisheries • Administration • Planning • Social Policy • Taxation • Consumer Policy in Legal and Economic • Affairs • Consumer Policy in • Society • Coordination of • Research • Food and Nutrition • Policy • Safety of the • Food Chain • Animal Welfare • Animal Health • Rural • Development • Agricultural Markets • Trade Promotion • Agriculture • Sustainability • Renewable Resources • Forestry • EU Policy • Fisheries • International Cooperation • World Food Affairs International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

5. Page 5 Presentation of the Ministry >> Budget of theBMELV Budget • 2011: 5.4 billion € • Agricultural social security policy 3.7 billion • GAK* 600 million • Research 389 million • Consumers 130 million • Miscellaneous 423 million • Grassland milk programme 200 million Federal Budget totals 305 billion, BMELV accounts for 1.7 % of the budget Research Consumers Miscellaneous Agricultural social security policy Grassland milk programme * Joint Task for the Improvement of Agricultural Structures and Coastal Protection International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

6. Food safety Protection against health hazards, deception and fraud Legal and economic fields Liberalised markets (e.g. telecommunication), Financial services (e.g. investor protection) Personal data in a digital world Consumer Policy >>General information Page 6 Consumer policy International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

7. State: Neither does the state dictate lifestyles nor consumption decisions (no tutelage). The role of the state consists of regulation, communication of information and prevention of market disruptions. Market: Functioning markets constitute a prior condition for consumers‘ freedom of choice. Consumers: Consumers can exert influence on the market by taking their own decisions. Consumer policy >> Consumer protection at three levels Page 7 Consumer protection at three levels International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

8. Germany is a federal state. The Federal Government is generally responsible for legislation in the field of consumer policy. The 16 federal states are in charge of lawenforcement. Nocentralsupervisoryauthority in the field of consumer protection is therefore in place in Germany. The protection of consumerhealthandsafety is enforced by the publicauthorities (supervisory authorities of the federal states) (e.g. in the case of foodstuffs). With regard to economicconsumerprotection, however, consumers always have to enforce private civil legal claims themselves (e.g. if purchased products have material defects) Consumer policy >> Federal Government and federal states Page 8 Federal Government and federal states International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

9. Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Federal Authorities e. g. Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) Institutions under Public Law e. g. Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) Federal Research Centres within the Remit of the BMELV Consumer policy >> Federal Ministries and authorities Page 9 Federal Government Federal Ministry of Finance Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin)Federal Ministry of JusticeFederal Ministry of Economics and TechnologyFederal Ministry of Labour and Social AffairsFederal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban DevelopmentFederal Aviation Office International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

10. Law-making and law enforcement Models for settling disputes out of court Promotion of information and advisory services for consumers (Financial) support of consumer organisations Initiatives for a dialogue between the organised interests of the industry, consumers and scientific community Schemes to improve the consumer education of pupils Consumer policy >> Instruments Page 10 Instruments of consumer policy International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

11. Quality offensive consumer finances Making offers transparent, understandable and comparable Consumers on the Internet Maintaining consumer self-determination through protection of data privacy and strengthening of consumer competence Product safety Products for private consumption (e.g. foodstuffs, toys or cosmetics) must be harmless in terms of health and safety Consumer policy >> Priorities I Page 11 Priorities of consumer policy International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

12. Initiative for clarity and truth The designation, presentation and labelling of foodstuffs must not be misleading. Consumer sciences Intensifying and networking consumer-relevant research and gaining insights from synergies Consumer Information Act Citizen-friendly instrument that provides for rights to make enquiries with public authorities Consumer education initiative Starting with the strengthening of everyday skills of young people Consumer policy >> Priorities II Page 12 Priorities in consumer policy International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

13. Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e. V. (Federation of German Consumer Organisations, vzbv):as the umbrella organisation of the 16 consumer advice centres and the 26 consumer-policy orientated associations, the vzbv represents consumer interests at national, European and international levels. The vzbv set up the Deutsche Stiftung Verbraucherschutz (German Consumer Protection Foundation) in order to tap alternative sources of finance. Stiftung Warentest (Germany‘s premier product testing organisation): The Stiftung Warentest, established by the Federal Government in 1964, provides guidance for consumers by conducting regular, independent and comparative tests of goods and services. DIN Verbraucherrat (DIN Consumer Council):The DIN Consumer Council represents consumer interests in standardization which now covers almost all areas of life of consumers. Consumer policy >> Promotion of consumer organisations Page 13 BMELV Promotion of consumer organisations at federal level International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

14. Consumer organisations: The consumer organisations contribute significantly to the independent advice and information of consumers. However, the funds needed for consumer advice activities cannot be raised from private sources alone. The consumer organisations that operate nationwide therefore receive regular financial support from the Federal Government. Consumer policy >> Consumer advice Page 14 Consumer advice The individual advice provided on the ground by the 16 consumer advice centres in the federal states, however, is funded from the respective budgets of the federal states. International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

15. Advantages: in most cases quicker than lawsuits consumer-friendly because free of charge, as a rule unbureaucratic because all citizens can turn to the arbitration board Example: BMELV supported an arbitration board in public transport for five years. Today, an arbitration board is in place that is borne by the transport operators themselves for rail, bus, ships and flights. Example: Settling disputes out-of-court Page 15 Out-of-court settlement of disputes International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

16. www.bmelv.de www.verbraucherzentrale.de www.test.de www.verbraucherrat.din.de www.lebensmittelklarheit.de www.lebensmittelwarnung.de Further details Page 16 Web Links: International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

17. Contact Page 17 Андреас Климант Департамент экономики и науки Отдел продовольствия, сельского хозяйства и защиты прав потребителей ----- Посольство Федеративной Республики Германия ул. Мосфильмовская, 56 119285 г. Москва тел.: +7 - 495 - 937 9500 (доб. 1229) / +7 - 499 783 08 94 факс: +7 - 499 783 08 85 e-mail: la-2@mosk.diplo.deИнтернет: www.moskau.diplo.de International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV

18. Thank You! Page 18 Спасибо за внимание! International Consumer Protection Conference, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, 05-06 April2012  BMELV