2^nd Meeting of the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue

22-24 April 1999, Brussels

Venue: Charlemagne building, European Commission, 170 Rue de la Loi, 1000 Brussels

Thursday 22 April

19h00 - 22h00 Welcome reception and dinner for all TACD meeting invitees

Venue: Europa Inter-Continental Hotel, 107 Rue de la Loi, 1040 Brussels

Friday 23 April

09h45 Opening Plenary: New Transatlantic Agenda - The Consumer Perspective

Venue: room S4

Chair: Anne-Lore Köhne, Director, Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Verbraucherverbände (AgV); President, European Consumers Organisation (BEUC)

• Emma Bonino, European Commissioner in charge of Consumer Affairs
• Susan Esserman, Deputy US Trade Representative
• Dr. Lorenz Schomerus, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, Germany
• Hans-Friedrich Beseler, Director General, DG I, External Relations, the European Commission
• Questions and discussion

11h00 Coffee

11h20 Plenary continued

• Joan Claybrook, President, Public Citizen, US
• Sheila McKechnie, Director, Consumers Association, UK
• Rhoda Karpatkin, President , Consumers Union, US member of the TACD Steering Committee
• Discussion

12h30 Lunch in same building

14h00 Parallel Working Groups (TACD members only)

Detailed agendas will be circulated before the meeting

• Food Working Group
  Venue: room S1
  Co-Chairs: Bruce Silverglade (US) & Ethel Forsberg (EU)
  Rapporteurs: To be announced
• Electronic Commerce Working Group
  Venue: room S2
  Co-Chairs: Jamie Love (US) & Dirk Klasen (EU)
  Rapporteurs: To be annouced
• Dialogue Working Group
  Venue: room S4
  Co-Chairs: Niel Ritchie (US) & Ann Davison (EU)
  Rapporteurs: To be announced

15h45 Coffee

16h15 Parallel Working Groups (Continued)

17h30 End of Session

19h00 Reception Hosted by the US Mission in Brussels

Venue: US Ambassador's Residence (64, Av. Du Vert Chasseur, Uccle). Buses will pick up all participants outside Europa Inter-Continental Hotel at 19h00.

Saturday 24 April

09h30 Parallel Working Groups (TACD members and government observers)

Venues: as above

• Food Working Group
  Co-Chairs: as above
  Rapporteurs: as above
• Electronic Commerce Working Group
  Co-Chairs: as above
  Rapporteurs: as above
• Dialogue Working Group
  Co-Chairs: as above
  Rapporteurs: as above

11h00 Coffee

11h30 Parallel Working Groups - Concluded

Chairs and rapporteurs prepare their summaries and recommendations for the final plenary.

12h30 Lunch

14h00 Plenary Session: New Transatlantic Agenda - Government Perspectives

Venue: room S4

Chair: Ed Mierzwinski, US PIRG, US Steering Committee

Speakers:

• Mozelle Thompson, Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission, US
• Horst Reichenbach, Director General, DG XXIV, Consumer Policy and Consumer Health Protection, European Commission

Questions

14h30 Closing Plenary

Jim Murray, Chair of EU Steering Committee leads discussion on:

• Working Group reports and recommendations
• Discussion and agreement on TACD recommendations
• Final agreement on TACD process and procedures
• Agreement on the 6-month TACD workplan

15h00-15h30 Coffee break

17h00 Close of meeting