On October 8 and 9, the first OECD Ministerial Meeting on Consumer Policy took place. Although the Committee for Consumer Protection has existed since 1969, there have not yet been any meetings at ministerial level. Now 37 ministers and heads of consumer protection authorities from 55 countries and 12 international organizations have taken part. They discussed how consumers can be better protected in the digital and green transition, including the topic of product safety.
The focus was on the following points
- The adoption of the Declaration on Protecting and Empowering Consumers in the Digital and Green Transition. The declaration emphasizes the urgency of tackling existing and emerging risks that consumers face online and encourages companies to follow fair practices. It commits governments to ensuring the protection of all consumers, especially vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly and infrequent internet users. In addition, the declaration calls for an update of the OECD Recommendation on Consumer Protection in Online Commerce to better address the changing risks and challenges of the digital transformation.
- The launch of the Global Consumer Policy Forum: This new forum brings together policy makers, scientists, civil society representatives, businesses and experts in a wide-ranging network to work together on consumer issues, behavioral economics, technological trends and new research in consumer policy.
- The decision to launch an awareness-raising campaign for the safe and responsible use of lithium-ion batteries.
Commenting on the OECD meeting, OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said: “Today’s Ministerial Meeting has discussed how policymakers can ensure consumer policies help people navigate these new digital and green products, services and options, by adapting to new technology-related risks, by continuing to prioritise consumer safety, and by ensuring consumer policies are well-co-ordinated with other relevant areas, such as competition, digital and environmental policies.”
Further sources: Stronger consumer protections needed to address current and emerging harms consumers face online | OECD
Ministerial Meeting of the OECD Committee on Consumer Policy | MPO