![\"\"](\"http:\/\/o9atitudine.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/Stephen-Russell-300-dpi2.jpg\" "\\"Stephen")
<\/a>It is 50 years this year since President John F Kennedy codified the four rights of US consumers: the right to safety; the right to choose; the right to information and the right to be heard.<\/p>\nKennedy understood that consumers were the largest economic group in his country\u2019s economy, affecting and affected by almost every public and private economic decision. Yet, before his speech on 15 March 1962 \u2013 now remembered annually as World Consumer Rights Day – consumers were also the only important group who were not effectively organised, and whose views were not heard.<\/p>\n
Fifty years later, the European Union has confirmed the importance of the consumer voice in the adoption of the Standardisation Regulation, which will become effective in Member States on 1 January of next year. Technical standardisation may not seem at all sexy at first glance, but it is an essential component of modern life: from the simplest of nuts & bolts, to the most complex of smartphones. And without effective consumer representation in the writing of standards, products will not be as safe, as interoperable, as accessible or as green as they could be. Of course, it is not the interests of business to ignore the needs of consumers if it wants to sell its products and services, but our experience is that business often focuses on meeting the needs of the \u201caverage consumer\u201d, where costs are lowest and profits highest, to the exclusion of vulnerable consumers: those who are young, old or disabled.<\/p>\n
As the European consumer voice in standardisation, ANEC applauds the links being forged between ASRO, the Romanian national standards body, and ANPCPPSR, the association representing Romanian consumers in ANEC. Indeed, it is only right that we do so on World Standards Day. The participation of consumer experts in national standardisation work is essential. Most European and international standards for consumer protection and welfare are written in CEN\/CENELEC and ISO\/IEC, organisations in which the writing of standards is led by the national standards bodies. We welcome the very strong lead ASRO is taking in CEN\/CENELEC as a standards body from a newer Member State. I remember I had the pleasure to speak as ANEC Secretary-General at the CEN\/CENELEC Annual Meeting hosted by ASRO in June 2008, where the importance of consumer participation in standardisation was not only recognised but repeatedly stressed.<\/p>\n
Although many of the European standards needed to support the Single European Market for products were written before Romania joined the European Union in 2004, there is still much to be done. The Standardisation Regulation accepts that similar work now needs to be extended to the field of services. For example, consumers expect a similar level of hotel fire safety to exist across Member States. But that is not true. There is not even a common minimum level of safety. There is need for European regulation, and for the development of European standards, in which the expectations of Romanian stakeholders \u2013 including consumers \u2013 can be expressed. And, of course, there is increasing innovation in the market for products. New technologies, and the convergence of technologies, mean the European standards for products need to be kept under regular review and revised. Here, the voice of the Romanian consumer also needs to be heard and must be heard.<\/p>\n
These are difficult times for Europe. But we must keep our ambition. We must continue to seek a Europe where the health, safety and well-being of consumers comes first. And we must keep our vision of Kennedy\u2019s rights alive.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Stephen RUSSELL<\/strong><\/p>\n ANEC Secretary-General<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Anul acesta se \u00eemplinesc 50 ani de c\u00e2nd Pre\u015fedintele John F. Kennedy a emis cele 4 drepturi ale consumatorilor din Statele Unite: dreptul la siguran\u0163\u0103, dreptul de a alege, dreptul la informare \u015fi dreptul de a fi ascultat.<\/p>\n Kennedy a \u00eenteles c\u0103 consumatorii au cel mai mare grup economic \u00een cadrul economiei t\u0103rii sale, influen\u0163\u00e2nd si fiind influen\u0163a\u0163i de aproape fiecare decizie economic\u0103 public\u0103 si privat\u0103. Cu toate acestea, \u00eenainte de discursul s\u0103u din 15 martie 1962 – fiind amintit anual ca Ziua Mondial\u0103 a Drepturilor Consumatorilor – consumatorii au fost, de asemenea, singurul grup important care nu era organizat eficient \u00a0si ale c\u0103ror opinii nu erau auzite.<\/p>\n Cincizeci de ani mai t\u00e2rziu, Uniunea European\u0103 a confirmat importanta vocii consumatorului \u00een adoptarea Regulamentului de Standardizare, care va intra \u00een vigoare \u00een statele membre de la data de 1 ianuarie a anului urm\u0103tor. Standardizarea tehnic\u0103 ar putea s\u0103 nu par\u0103 deloc atragatoare, la prima vedere, dar este o component\u0103 esential\u0103 a vietii moderne: de la simple nuci si \u015furuburi, la cele mai complex dintre smartphone-uri. Si f\u0103r\u0103 o reprezentare eficient\u0103 a consumatorilor \u00een scrierea standardelor, produsele nu ar fi la fel de sigure, \u00a0inter-operabile, accesibile sau “verzi” pe c\u00e2t ar putea fi. Desigur, nu acesta este interesul de afaceri – in a ignora nevoile consumatorilor, ins\u0103 \u00een cazul \u00een care se doreste v\u00e2nzarea produselor si serviciilor, din experienta noastr\u0103 se arat\u0103 c\u0103 de multe ori, afacerile se concentreaz\u0103 pe satisfacerea nevoilor “consumatorului mediu”, \u00een care costurile sunt cele mai mici si profiturile cele mai mari, excluz\u00e2nd consumatorii vulnerabili: cei care sunt tineri, persoanele \u00een v\u00e2rst\u0103 sau persoanele cu handicap.<\/p>\n Ca “Voce a Consumatorilor Europeni in Standardizare” ANEC salut\u0103 leg\u0103turile dintre ASRO, organismul national de standardizare din Rom\u00e2nia si ANPCPPSR, asociatia care reprezint\u0103 consumatorii rom\u00e2ni \u00een ANEC. \u00centr-adev\u0103r, este corect s\u0103 facem acest lucru cu ocazia Zilei Mondiale a Standardiz\u0103rii. Participarea expertilor de consum \u00een activitatea de standardizare national\u0103 este esential\u0103. Majoritatea standardelor europene si internationale pentru protectia consumatorului si a bun\u0103st\u0103rii sunt scrise \u00een CEN \/ CENELEC si ISO \/ IEC, organizatii \u00een care scrierea de standarde este condus\u0103 de c\u0103tre organismele nationale de standardizare. Salut\u0103m cu mare c\u0103ldur\u0103 rolul pe care ASRO \u00eel are \u00een CEN \/ CENELEC ca un organism de standardizare dintr-un stat membru nou. Imi amintesc ca am avut pl\u0103cerea de a vorbi \u00een calitate de Secretar General ANEC, la Adunarea Anuala CEN \/ CENELEC g\u0103zduit\u0103 de ASRO \u00een iunie 2008, \u00een care importanta particip\u0103rii consumatorilor \u00een procesul de standardizare nu numai c\u0103 a fost recunoscut\u0103, dar a fost \u015fi subliniat\u0103 \u00een mod repetat.<\/p>\n Desi multe dintre standardele europene care necesit\u0103 sprijinirea pietei unice europene pentru produse – au fost scrise \u00eenainte ca Rom\u00e2nia s\u0103 adere la Uniunea European\u0103 \u00een anul 2004, inca mai sunt multe de f\u0103cut. Regulamentul de Standardizare accept\u0103 c\u0103 munca similar\u0103 trebuie acum s\u0103 fie extins\u0103 \u015fi \u00een domeniul serviciilor. De exemplu, consumatorii se asteapt\u0103 la un nivel similar de securitate in caz de incendiu la un hotel, care s\u0103 existe \u00een toate statele membre. Dar acest lucru nu este adev\u0103rat. Nu exist\u0103 nici m\u0103car un nivel minim comun de sigurant\u0103. Este nevoie de reglement\u0103ri europene, precum si de dezvoltarea standardelor europene, \u00een care astept\u0103rile p\u0103rtilor interesate din Rom\u00e2nia – inclusiv consumatorii – poate fi exprimate. Si, desigur, exist\u0103 un nivel in cre\u015ftere a inovatiei pe piata produselor. Noile tehnologii, precum si convergenta tehnologiilor, \u00eenseamn\u0103 c\u0103 standardele europene pentru produse trebuie s\u0103 fie reexaminate \u015fi revizuite \u00een mod periodic. Aici, vocea consumatorului rom\u00e2n trebuie s\u0103 fie auzit\u0103 si este necesar s\u0103 se fac\u0103 auzit\u0103.<\/p>\n Acestea sunt vremuri dificile pentru Europa. Dar noi trebuie s\u0103 ne p\u0103str\u0103m ambitia. Trebuie s\u0103 continu\u0103m s\u0103 caut\u0103m o Europ\u0103 \u00een care s\u0103n\u0103tatea, siguranta si bun\u0103starea consumatorilor este pe primul loc. Trebuie s\u0103 p\u0103str\u0103m vie viziunea drepturilor lui Kennedy.<\/p>\n Secretar General, ANEC<\/strong><\/p>\n Anul acesta se \u00eemplinesc 50 ani de c\u00e2nd Pre\u015fedintele John F. Kennedy a emis cele 4 drepturi ale consumatorilor din Statele Unite: dreptul la siguran\u0163\u0103, dreptul de a alege, dreptul la informare \u015fi dreptul de a fi ascultat. Kennedy a \u00eenteles c\u0103 consumatorii au cel mai mare grup economic \u00een cadrul economiei t\u0103rii sale, influen\u0163\u00e2nd si fiind influen\u0163a\u0163i de aproape fiecare decizie economic\u0103 public\u0103 si privat\u0103. Cu toate acestea, \u00eenainte de discursul s\u0103u din 15 martie 1962 – fiind amintit anual ca Ziua Mondial\u0103 a Drepturilor Consumatorilor – consumatorii au fost, de asemenea, singurul grup important care nu era organizat eficient si ale c\u0103ror opinii nu erau auzite.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/o9atitudine.ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6850"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/o9atitudine.ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/o9atitudine.ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/o9atitudine.ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/o9atitudine.ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6850"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/o9atitudine.ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6852,"href":"https:\/\/o9atitudine.ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6850\/revisions\/6852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/o9atitudine.ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/o9atitudine.ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/o9atitudine.ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nBrussels, 15 October 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nStephen RUSSELL<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nBrussels, 15 October 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"