Conferentie over samenhang concurrentievermogen, mededinging en consumentenrechten in EU-beleid (en)

Thursday 8 March the Danish Minister of Business and Growth, Ole Sohn, will speak at the international conference ‘European Competition and Consumer Day’.

The conference , held in Copenhagen, is part of the Danish EU Presidency. The Vice-President and European Commissioner for Competition, Joaquín Almunia, and the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli, will also speak at the conference.

The focus of the conference is ‘Growth and New Opportunities - the Role of Competition and Consumer Behaviour’. The issues, that will be discussed, are amongst others how consumers can impact competition on the markets, how barriers to competition can be overcome and how enforcement of competition rules can be strengthened.

Danish Minister of Business and Growth Ole Sohn:

“It is of vital importance for growth that we succeed in strengthening competition in Europe. With this conference the Danish EU presidency focuses on the interaction between efficient competition and active consumer behaviour.

Several European countries have already taken initiatives to increase competition, for example by modernizing and liberalizing anticompetitive regulation. This European trend will set the stage for today’s discussions.

Competition and consumer policy is closely interlinked. Competition is hampered when consumers are insecure or in doubt about their rights when the trade across borders. I am therefore very pleased that the Commission has put forward proposals on alternative and online dispute resolution.

The growth challenge can however not be solved nationally; we must work together in the EU to find solutions. I hope that this conference can create the foundation for a number of initiatives that will contribute to the European growth agenda, as underlined by the European Council last week.”

The European Competition and Consumer Day will take place at Eigtveds Pakhus in Copenhagen. Eigtveds Pakhus is located on Asiatisk Plads 2, in central Copenhagen, next to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

During the conference the Danish Minister for Business and Growth, Ole Sohn, Vice-President and European Commissioner for Competition, Joaquín Almunia, and the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli will take questions from the press from 10.40 to 11.00.

Contact

Press secretary Søren Møller Nielsen (mobile phone +45 22 44 50 60 or smn@evm.dk).