Projects in the field of consumer policy
The Consumer Policy Service of the European Commission plans to award contracts for research and technical support services in connection with consumer policy. The present call is an invitation to organizations to submit expressions of interest. Qualified organizations will be included on a list maintained by the Consumer Policy Service and invited to tender for specific projects. The present call concerns contracts for which the Consumer Policy Service will award projects under sector-based policies, such as studies in the following areas: Cosmetic and pharmaceutical products: - Legal and administrative matters related to implementation of Council Directive 93/35/EEC (sixth amendment of Directive 76/768/EEC); - Matters requiring thorough specialist knowledge in fields such as toxicology, microbiology, pharmacy and dermatology, involving, for example: . Evaluation of ingredients, and selection and development of methods for analysing cosmetic products; . Development and management of databases; . Analysis of progress in the field of alternatives to cosmetics-testing involving animals; . The microbiological purity of cosmetic-product ingredients; . Matters of interest to consumers in the pharmaceutical products field, for example, research, the cost of prescription drugs and the reimbursement of such costs, and generic drugs. Toys: - Toy safety; - Structure of the toy market in the European Union, and market trends; - Problems associated with supervision of the toy market. Textiles matters requiring specialist knowledge covering textile-related issues of particular interest to consumers, for example: - Microbiological considerations and hygiene issues related to stuffing products of animal origin; - Labelling of such stuffing and of other types of stuffing; - Denomination and technical description of new textile fibres appearing on the market; - Methods of analysing textile products; - Sampling of textile products; - Composition-and-care labelling of textile products; - Inflammability of textile consumer products; - Miscellaneous safety issues raised by textile products and how they are used and treated. Child care: - Legal and technical matters related to child-care products; Consumption and ecology: - Examination of consumer attitudes to the environment and of means of changing consumer habits; - Evaluation of political instruments. Agricultural products and foodstuffs; - Matters requiring technical knowledge in fields covered by Community legislation concerning food processing, for example: . Additives, flavours, sweeteners and colouring used in food processing; . Contaminants, pesticides, hormones, extraction solvents; . Materials and substances in contact with foodstuffs; . Methods of processing foodstuffs, freezing, irradiation; . Foodstuff-related biotechnologies (genetic engineering, new food ingredients, etc.); . Food hygiene, nutrition, health; . Food quality, organic farming products. Expressions of interest are to be sent by registered post to: European Commission Consumer Policy Service 200 rue de la Loi (JII-70) B-1049 Brussels