Consumer protection: indication of prices of products offered to consumers

In adopting the report by Mrs Ria OOMEN-RUIJTEN (PPE, NL) Parliament amended at second reading the Council's common position on consumer protection in the indication of the prices of products. In order to assist small retail businesses Parliament proposes granting them a deadline of a maximum of six years to conform to this directive. It asks that the Commission submit an assessment report on the situation one year before the last deadline provided for the generalized application of the provision. The report also calls for the Member States to be allowed not to apply the obligation to indicate the unit price to: - sales of products in vending machines; - itinerant traders and personal in-home sales; - foodstuffs sold in catering establishments, cinemas and theatres, educational establishments, recreational establishments, staff shops at the workplace, hospitals, canteens and similar institutions. The selling price and the unit price shall be indicated on the product offered for sale or on the shelf where the product is located, in such a manner as to be clearly legible for the consumer. In small retail businesses the prices may also be indicated on a price list displayed in a prominent place in the shop. Parliament also stressed that following the introduction of the Euro, the following three prices may be indicated: - selling price in the national currency, - selling price in the single currency, - unit price in the single currency. If a temporary special offer or discount applies an indication of other prices, for information purposes, shall be optional. It was also proposed that Member States may waive the obligation to indicate the unit price of products for which such indication is meaningless because of the products' nature or purpose or would be liable to create confusion. �