Services Standards: Defining the Core Consumer Elements ... - ANEC

Hans-W. Micklitz
on the new regulatory techniques and the new regulators provides at least an
oversight on the changing role of consumer organisations, even in the law
making process 420 .
Representatives from the consumer committees of National Standards Bodies
and/or from ANEC have accompanied the elaboration of a number of technical
standards being studied here 421 . Through their active participation the
agreement between CEN and ANEC leads to palpable results. Consumer
representatives have had access to the relevant documents, they are allowed to
make proposals and to provide scientific advice. The minutes of the working
session and meetings are not publicly available. Consultation remains
confidential. That is why it is hard to say, whether and to what extent the
‘consumers’ voice’ has been heard in the relevant technical committees.
Whether or not consumers are satisfied with the relevant standards becomes
clear only after the standard has been adopted and published in the Official
Journal or made accessible via the National Standards Bodies. This has been
the case with regard to European standard EN 13724 on apertures of private
letterboxes and letter plates. The fact that the slit does not protect consumers
against theft has led to an outcry in Austria.
Chapter VI: General observations, best practice and baseline
requirements
The sixth chapter aims at widening the perspective. The review process allows
for general observations on standard-making in the field of services (I). These
pave the way for measuring the existing EC regulation and technical standards
against the five leading principles which have been deduced from the concept
of best practice. This includes the opportunity to pinpoint to a limited set of best
practice in the existing array of standards (II). Based on the core consumer
elements and the findings of the screening process the minimum or baseline
requirements will be developed which could be used as a yardstick for
consumer representatives to measure the consumer input into standardisation
of services (III). The chapter concludes with a checklist that serves as a guide in
the standardisation process (IV).
420 See Chapter II, IV and V.
421 See Chapter IV, II, 3. with concrete references.
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