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The European Union provides all ist citizen with the opportunity to move about freely, and equally the right to buy goods an services in all Member States. The introduction of the euro in 2001 made travel and commerce even easier for EU citizens and naturally encouraged a rise in cross-border regional developpement. However, the internal market is not without risks for consumers. In some ereas, regional authorities and consumer organisations have already ste up networks to resolve potential problems together.
Citizens have also become more active in fields such as sustainable development, energy and mobility. Evidence suggests that regional consumer organisations are the best way to create and develop consumer confidence in the internal market at regional level.
The project seeks to increase the efficacy of solutions adopted by organisations and regional authorities in response to the needs of consumers when dealing with their problems and disputes. NEPIM also aims to encourage more regions to develop a consumer policy as part of their regional development strategy.
By sharing knowledge and experience, the partners are better able to serve consumers when providing information campaigns, price comparisons, cross-border conciliation and/or mediation procedures related to consumer issues. NEPIM is also encouraging more regions to adopt consumer policy as a method for sustainable and effective regional development. The partnership helps regions to see the benefits by giving them better access to information on sustainable consumption using larg-scale dissemination of good practice and experience in consumer advice, protection, information, assistance and resolution of disputes between regions. NEPIM wants to see more regions actively involved so that a permanent platform to promote consumer policy will continue at the end of the project.