Pro Consumers Association – “Asociația Pro Consumatori” (APC Romania) – celebrated its 30th Anniversary on February 10, 2020 at the InterContinental Hotel in Bucharest. APC’s excellence in Consumer Protection and Education was honored with a Diploma of Special Merit as a prestigious recognition for its professionalism, responsibility and devotion on serving consumers, inspiring and promoting a culture of learning, observation and assessment in order to effectively informing consumers, strengthening consumers’ capacity to turn a problem to their advantage, by solving it if possible before it occurs, considering the free choice an informed choice, and fine-tuning the relationship between consumer rights and business ethics, really stimulating consumer empowerment in today’s Omni channel world. At the ceremony of awarding this Diploma of Special Merit a “Laudatio” has been presented by the President of the Board of Directors of the Romanian Distribution Committee (RDC), APC Romania being a founding member of RDC, and APC President Mr. Costel Stanciu being both an Honorary Member of RDC, and a Member of the Board of Directors of RDC.

Recognized (in 2005, by the Romanian Government) as a public utility organization, APC is a member of BEUC (Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs – The European Consumer Organisation – Europäischer Verbraucherverband), and the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD, 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). On the occasion of its 30th Anniversary APC Romania received significant messages from prestigious International Partners, such as: Mr. Gerjan Huis in ‘t Veld, Director of the Consumentenbond Claimservice, The Netherlands and Vice-President of BEUC; Mr. Klaus Müller, CEO of Federation of German Consumer Organisations – Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e.V.

It is also worth remembering within this special context that:

● Prof. Dr. Bernd Hallier, President of the European Retail Academy, Germany (http://holisticmarketingmanagement.ro/romanian-president-klaus-werner-iohannis-the-designated-recipient-of-the-international-charlemagne-prize-of-aachen-april-2020/), made reference on March 5, 2015 to the 25^th Anniversary of APC Romania, also highlighting the inspired and inspiring Roundtable entitled “Consumer protection and the pressure of economic and societal changes: the digital revolution; the sustainable consumption; the social exclusion, the vulnerable consumers and the accessibility”, organized on May 28, 2014 by the Romanian-American University in collaboration with the Romanian Distribution Committee, the Romanian Competition Council and APC Romania.

● On May 1, 2015 within the generous framework offered by the works of the “SHOP 2015” Conference at Expo Milano, TUTTOFOOD, the International Food and Agriculture Show, the President of the Romanian Distribution Committee, invited as Speaker by the Italian Trade Agency approached the topic of “Distribution, the challenge of the super agility. From following the trends to actually doing something about them”, and made reference to the collaboration between APC Romania, the Romanian Competition Council, and the National Authority for Consumer Protection.

● Mr. Didier Reynders, EU Commissioner for Justice and Consumers hosted recently “The European Consumer Summit 2020” (Brussels, Belgium, 30 – 31 January 2020), a special event dedicated to begin shaping the future Consumer Policy around sustainable consumption, digitalisation and effective enforcement, one hand, and improving the way all stakeholders can work together at national and EU level to empower consumers in the green and digital transition, on the other hand (Source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/events/european-consumer-summit-2020-2020-jan-30_en). It is well-known that according to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen consumers will be a key driving force in this transition (EU Commission President’s political guidelines calling for upgrading Europe’s unique social market economy to equip it for leading this transition).

● BEUC (Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs / The European Consumer Organisation / Europäischer Verbraucherverband) welcomed on 29.01.2020 the adoption of an EU consumer agenda within the European Commission 2020 work programme, the Director General of BEUC, Mrs. Monique Goyens, highlighting that: “Consumers are going through disruptive times as they are confronted with a climate crisis and new business practices due to technological changes. An ambitious consumer agenda must make sure that consumer interests are at the heart of EU policy making” (Source: http://www.beuc.eu/publications/beuc-welcomes-commission-plans-adopt-consumer-agenda/html).