Speech by Joao Rocha Paris

Ambassador of Portugal to the US

February 10, 2000
Washington, DC

Thank you very much. It is with great pleasure that I join you today and address the third annual meeting of the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue. I want to thank the TACD steering committee for their kind invitation and for the opportunity to address this illustrious group.

Judging from the distinguished list of participants, I trust that, as in previous meetings, important recommendations will be forthcoming as a direct result of the sessions being conducted by the different working groups. In this regard, it is important that we continue to strive towards closing the gap between the European Union and the United States. In this day and age of cyberspace, e-commerce and globalization, it is imperative that consumer issues are properly addressed and defended, and as such safeguards are designed, refined and implemented in order to protect consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Given that tonight's program includes remarks on the issue of "The Future of Globalization" by two other very distinguished speakers -- a topic that I find very pertinent from various spectrums, ranging from economic and regulatory to cultural and societal -- I would like to take this opportunity to inform you of the priorities that Portugal has set within the framework of the TACD during its presidency of the Council of the European Union.

As some of you already know, Portugal will organize a conference in the Azores to be held between June 8-9, under the theme "Globalization, Regulation and Self-Regulation and Consumer Interests." Specific issues to be addressed during this conference include electronic commerce and new information technologies, which I understand are currently being discussed in this TACD meeting. The meeting in the Azores will thus provide a forum to build on the recommendations and foundation of this meeting. Incidentally, the Azores was chosen due to its geographic location in the middle of the Atlantic. We believe that it provides the ideal setting to narrow the distance between the consumer and regulatory interests from both sides of the Atlantic.

In addition, food safety is also a priority under the Portuguese presidency, one where we feel an urgent need to establish appropriate response mechanisms and regulatory norms within the European Union. It is a complex issue that has caused its share of disputes between both sides of the Atlantic. A conference to address food safety issues is currently due to take place in Lisbon on April 19.

Last but not least, Portugal plans to host a conference in May to discuss arbitration of international commercial disputes. Consumer debt in Europe has been increasing due to the wide offer of services and goods attached to attractive financial packages. At the same time, we observe the proliferation of non-judicial venues created to assist with the resolution of commercial disputes. As it hosts the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Portugal wants to promote better communication and cooperation among these non-judicial venues, both within the European Union and on a global scale.

Again, thank you for this opportunity and your interest and commitment to these crucial issues.

Thank you.