Garzón urges linking EU consumption to the ecological transition

The Minister for Consumer Affairs, Alberto Garzón, has stated in Brussels that the Government of Spain's priority during its Presidency of the Council of the EU will be to "link consumption to the ecological transition and the European green agenda".

These were Garzón's words at the European Consumer Summit 2023, chaired by the EU's Commissioner for Justice and Consumer Affairs, Didier Reynders, also attended by heads of Consumer Affairs from the other three countries which, together with Spain, will hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU until 2024 (Sweden, Belgium and Hungary).

For the Minister for Consumer Affairs, climate change is "a growing cause for concern" in Europe, especially in Mediterranean countries such as Spain. To this effect, he considered it "crucial" to promote initiatives which, in addition to protecting the most vulnerable consumers, make the environmental impact of consumption visible and "change the paradigm"".

"Consumption is not just a technical relationship between two parties, it is in fact a social relationship that involves costs and has consequences", said the minister, as a warning that consumption habits cannot be analysed solely from the supply side, but must also be analysed "from the demand side, which is the other side of the coin".

In this regard, Garzón argued that a citizenry that is "better informed" about the ecological impact of its consumption patterns is also a citizenry that "makes better decisions".

To this end, the minister identified the right to information as another of the pillars that Spain will promote during his mandate as head of the Council of the EU. Garzón also said that a legislative agenda will be promoted to develop the objectives of the New European Consumer Agenda, including those related to the right to redress.

"From Spain we want to continue to promote consumer rights on issues related to mandatory minimum guarantees and replacements," he underlined, referring to the extension of mandatory guarantees from two to three years approved by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs in 2022.

Last, Garzón stressed the need to "be bold" in public policies and move towards more sustainable and healthier consumption models. "We must help citizens to be more co-responsible, to be better informed so that we can leave a better future for present and future generations," he concluded.

The Minister for Consumer Affairs also attended Tuesday's informal meeting of EU consumer affairs ministers, where the two major challenges that Europe needs to address to ensure consumer protection were addressed. The first, the cost being borne by working families due to higher food and energy prices, and the second the ecological impact of consumption.

"Both dimensions require urgent coordinated action at European level. Europe must continue to make progress on electricity market reforms that lower household bills and put an end to the energy oligopoly", said the Minister for Consumer Affairs.

On product inflation, Garzón has put on the table the need to "set up mechanisms to control and curb the rising cost of a basket of basic and healthy foodstuff, with special emphasis on the extraordinary profits of large distributors".

Non official translation