TRANSATLANTIC PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCACY THROUGH THE TACD

The Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) is a forum of US and EU consumer organisations which develops and agrees on joint consumer policy recommendations to the US government and European Union to promote the consumer interest in EU and US policy making. The aim of the TACD is to provide a formal mechanism for EU and US consumer representatives to input to EU and US political negotiations and agreements as well as explore ways of strengthening the EU and US consumer view at the international level.

TACD champions the consumer perspective in transatlantic decision making. Its mission is to ensure that EU/US policy dialogue promotes consumer welfare on both sides of the Atlantic and is well informed about the implications of policy decisions on consumers.

TACD regularly issues statements and recommendations on important food, information society, intellectual property, financial services and nanotechnology issues. In doing so TACD provides a common voice for EU and US consumer organisations ensuring that key consumer priorities are promoted and advocated within EU-US regulatory and governmental processes, helping to protect health and safety and assure truth and fairness in the marketplace.

Through meetings and multi-stakeholder conferences TACD contributes to the exchange of information, dissemination of knowledge and sharing of expertise on key consumer issues in the EU and the US.

TACD works with stakeholders such as the Transatlantic Legislators Dialogue (TLD) and the Transatlantic Business Council (TABC) through the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC), of which TACD is a member of the advisory group, to find areas of commonality and to seek increased consensus.

TACD counts a total of 50 EU and 27 U.S. consumer organizations and members participate in its work through five Policy Committee's: Food, Intellectual Property, Information Society, Financial Services and Nanotechnology. TACD's strategic direction is led by the Steering Committee and the Chairs of the Policy Committees. TACD also has three observer members, two from Canada and one from Australia. Participation in TACD is open to all EU or US consumer organizations working on a national and/or international level, and are independent of business and political interest. Consumer organizations from outside the EU and US, or groups that do not meet the definition of consumer organizations can be invited to the working groups as ‘observer members’. They may input views but may not stop consensus policy decisions. The TACD Secretariat is situated within the Office of Consumers International. In London.

Members:

• EU [Alliance for Social and Ecological Consumer Organisations (ASECO); European Association for the Coordination of Consumer Representation (ANEC); European Community of Consumer Cooperatives (EUROCOOP); the European Consumers’Organization (BEUC); European Public Health Alliance].
• Austria [Verein für Konsumenteninformation (VKI)].
• Belgium [Test-Aankoop/Test Achats].
• Bulgaria [Bulgarian National Consumers Association (BNAP)].
• Czech Republic [Consumers Defence Association of the Czech Republic (SOS)].
• Denmark [Aktive Forbrugere; Forbrugerraadet (Danish Consumer Council-FBR)].
• Finland [Kuluttajat Konsumenterna; Suomen Kuluttajaliitto/Finnish Consumers’ Association].
• France [Consommation, Logement et Cadre de Vie (CLCV) ; Organisation Générale des Consommateurs ; Union Fédérale des Consommateurs- UFC Que Choisir].
• Germany [Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband (VZBV) ; BUKO Pharma-Kampagne].
• Greece [Consumers’ Association (EKPIZO); Consumers’Federation of Greece (INKA); Consumer Protection Centre (KEPKA)].
• Hungary [Országos Fogyasztóvédelmi Egyesület (OFE); Tudatos Vásárlók Egyesülete (TVE)].
• Ireland [Consumers’ Association of Ireland].
• Italy [ADUSBEF; Altroconsumo; Associazione Consumatori Utenti (ACU); Associazione per la Difesa e l’Orientamento dei Consumatori (ADOC); Comitato CODACONS; Federconsumatori; Movimento Consumatori].
• Netherlands [Consumentenbond].
• Norway  [Forbrukerradet (Consumer Council of Norway)].
• Portugal [Centro de Arbitragem de Conflictos de Consumo (CPS)].
• Romania [Romanian Association for Consumers Protection].
• Slovenia [Slovene Consumers Association (ZPS)].
• Spain [Asociacion Valenciana de Consumidores y Usuarios; Confederacion Estatal de Consumidores y Usuarios (CECU); Organizacion de Consumidores y Usuarios (OCU); Union Nacional de Asociaciones Espanolas (UNAE); Union de Consumidores de Espana (UCE)].
• Sweden [Sveriges Konsumenter ; Sveriges Konsumenter i Samverkan (SKIS) ; Swedish Consumer Co-operatives (KF)].
• United Kingdom [Consumer Focus ; Open Rights Group ; Privacy International ; Sustain ; Which?)].
• United States of America [American Council on Consumer (ACCI); Center for Digital Democracy (CDD); Center for Food Safety (CFS); Center for Media and Democracy; Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI); Community Nutrition Institute; Consumer Action; Consumer Federation of America (CFA); Consumers Union (CU); Economic Justice Institute; Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF); Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC); Health Action International; Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP); International Centre for Technology Assessment (ICTA); Knowledge Ecology International (KEI); National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA); National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators (NACAA); National Consumers League; Prevention Institute; Privacy Rights Clearinghouse; Public Citizen; Public Interest Research Group (PIRG); Public Knowledge; World Privacy Forum].
• Observers [American Civil Liberties Union(ACLU); Choice Australia; Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Canada; Union des Consommateurs, Canada].