Services relating to Community consumer policy
The European Commission, DG XXIV, has published a call for expressions of interest for contractors wishing to carry out services and studies relating to the Community's consumer policy. The Commission will draw up sublists to include all applications satisfying the criteria. Those on these sublists will be invited to tender when DG XXIV calls upon services in one of the areas described below. Candidates may wish to appear on one or more of the respective sublists. The Commission carries out an active information and consumer protection policy. In this context, DG XXIV is responsible for the design, implementation and management of various actions and has a requirement for external assistance in the following areas, each of which will correspond to a sublist, as follows: 1. Legal questions: follow-up of EC law for which DG XXIV is responsible; implementation of Article 129A EC; consumer policy and competition law. Enlarging and deepening: application of the Community patrimony in relation to consumers with reference to the Union's external agreements (code U1). 2. Development of the information and representation of consumers: consumer information policy and communication strategies; relations with national and Community organizations representing consumers and their development, their support, etc.; actions for promotion and exchange with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the developing countries and third countries; PHARE and TACIS programmes with regard to consumer policy; relations with international organizations (code U3). 3. Training of consumers and the Information Society: actions in matters relating to consumer education; the consumer Information Society, applied research with regard to multimedia; consumer access to information (code UA1). 4. Transactions: indications of prices, advertising, contracts concluded with consumers, tourism, settling of disputes - access to the law courts (code UA2). 5. Products: general safety of products, cosmetics, textiles, toys, questions regarding standards and labelling in relation with consumers (code UA3). 6. Services: consumer dimension with regard to services of public interest or public utility, introduction of the single currency, financial services, access to property, health services, general questions regarding the responsibility of service providers (code UA4). 7. Durable consumption: policy in favour of quality standards in the food and non-food sectors, durable consumption models, biotechnology, environmental considerations (code UA5). The contracts to be competed for, based on the established sublists, will comprise: - Specific consultancy work (code Intra); - Specific studies and services of an intellectual nature for DG XXIV (code Extra). The validity period of the sublists resulting from the present call for expressions of interest is three years from 5 June 1996. Groupings of service providers will be accepted. Candidates wishing to apply for more than one sublist should submit separate applications for each. In addition, candidates interested in both types of contract should apply separately, even if both are on the same sublist. The address to which applications must be sent is: European Commission DG XXIV - Consumer policy Unit XXIV/02 - Resources 200 rue de la Loi (RP-3 6/19) B-1049 Brussels