Minister Ramin-Osmundsen to strengthen consumer policy

Minister of Children and Equality Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen comes to her new post with a desire to be an active consumer affairs minister.

Ramin-Osmundsen is committed to making public- and private-sector solutions accessible to everyone. Universal design is a crucial concept in regard to both products and physical surroundings.

The minister also favours additional measures to encourage a more environmentally sensitive and ethical consumption pattern. Better access to environmentally friendly products and solutions is necessary if consumer behaviour is to be changed.

"We must focus on the connection between what we consume and the environment we live in," says the new minister.

Efforts to relieve and counteract the commercial pressure on youngsters will continue without let up. Such efforts will be evident in educational and informational campaigns and in the formulation of a special provision in the proposed new marketing act that will regulate advertisements aimed at children. The proposed new marketing act will be submitted in the spring of 2008.

At the start of 2008 Ramin-Osmundsen will launch a consumer-policy action programme affecting a number of ministries with influence over consumer issues. This is the first time that a Norwegian government has demonstrated a broad, collective ambition on behalf of consumers.

"I look forward to getting started on this," says Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen.

Another initiative will be the establishment of www.finansportalen.no. This is a web portal with consumer information about savings, loans and insurance. It will be of service to individual consumers while helping improve competition in the marketplace for comparable financial services. The Norwegian Consumer Council will develop the portal in cooperation with the financial services industry. An initial version of the portal is to be launched in January 2008.

New rules are also on the way for property condition reporting in connection with home sales. For many people, buying or selling a home is the largest transaction they will ever face. Decisions nonetheless are often taken hastily or on the basis of poor information.

In 2008 a commission will propose regulations ensuring that buyers have access to sufficient information about the homes they are considering, including any defects or deficiencies.

On 24 October 2007 the minister outlined her consumer-policy ideas and ambitions in an interview on the NRK television programme Forbrukerinspektørene.