First joint European Competition and Consumer day

173/05    14 September 2005

Competition and consumer policies must work well together for consumers and fair dealing businesses, Sir John Vickers, OFT Chairman, will tell an audience of European experts at the first joint European Competition and Consumer day taking place tomorrow.

Keynote speakers at the event, organised by the OFT as part of the UK's Presidency of the EU, include Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Neelie Kroes, European Competition Commissioner and Deborah Majoras, Chair of the US Federal Trade Commission.

For the first time the European Competition day has been broadened to include consumer issues and policy. This reflects the advantages to consumers and businesses of competition and consumer policy working well together. An integrated approach will:

• deliver choice and value in the marketplace for consumers
• avoid regulatory duplication and cut red tape for business
• be fully effective and proportionate.

Looking ahead to the conference, Sir John Vickers, said: 'Good consumer and competition policies share the same goal, helping markets work well for consumers and fair-dealing enterprises. What ultimately counts is that the customer has a well-informed choice between competing alternatives when making a purchase. Better markets mean better choices.

'As well as competition-centred consumer policy and consumer-focused competition policy, we need competition and consumer principles to inform economic policy-making more generally.'

The landscape of European consumer and competition law has recently been reshaped and there is now a seamless and decentralised system of competition law enforcement across Europe, and consumer law enforcement has also been significantly strengthened.

Choice – the core theme of the day – will be explored further through sessions on retail financial services and private healthcare and the future of competition and consumer policy.

NOTES

1. Media wishing to attend the event should complete the registration form.

2. The Office of Fair Trading will host the European Competition and Consumer Day on 15 September as part of the UK's Presidency of the European Union. In addition to the keynote speakers the day will comprise three sessions on: retail financial services, private healthcare markets and the future of competition and consumer policy.

Retail financial services
Speakers: Sir Callum McCarthy, Chairman UK Financial Services Authority and John Fingleton, Chairman, Irish Competition Authority.
Panellists: Jim Murray, Director BEUC, and Jonathan Evans MEP
Chair: Peter Freeman, Deputy Chairman, Competition Commission.

Private healthcare
Speakers: Jonathan May, OFT Divisional Director, and Agne Pantelouri, Director of Consumer Affairs, European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection.
Panellists: Ed Mayo, Chief Executive UK National Consumer Council, and Christiane Koeber Executive Board, German Wettbewebszentrale.
Chair: Pieter Kalbfleisch, Chairman, Netherlands Competition Authority.

Future priorities, competition and consumer policy
Speakers: John Sutherland, President UK CBI, and Phil Evans, Principal Policy Advisor, Which?
Panellists: Karin Lindell, Director General, Swedish Consumer Agency and Consumer Ombudsman.
Chair:  Sir Christopher Bellamy, President, UK Competition Appeal
Tribunal.

3. The first European Competition Day was held in Lisbon in 2000 following an initiative by then Commissioner Monti.  Since then, the holder of the EU Presidency has hosted similar events. European Consumer Day has traditionally been held annually on 15 March to coincide with World Consumer Day.