David Byrne, the European Commissioner responsible for Health and Consumer Protection, yesterday issued a message of support to the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD), a forum of US and EU organisations, ahead of its forthcoming meeting.
"Bringing together non-governmental organisations from both sides of the Atlantic to discuss consumer policy issues enriches EU-US co-operation," said Byrne. "The Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue provides a vital 'reality check' for politicians and officials involved in EU / US relations," he continued adding that he was looking forward to seeing the results of the meeting.
The TACD, which promotes consumer interests in EU and US policy making, will be meeting in Washington DC on 29 and 30 October with EU and US government officials. Priority issues to be discussed include World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations, in particular trade in services and access to medicines, genetically modified organisms, antibiotics in animal and food production, e-commerce and consumer protection, EU-US regulatory cooperation and transparency.
The meeting will be attended by about seventy consumer representatives from the US and the European Union. European participants include representatives from both EU level and national consumer organisations.
The TACD, launched in Washington in September 1998 and partially funded by the Commission, will be producing a Report Card assessing the impact the dialogue is having on the policies of the Commission and the US government.