At the meeting of ministers from the EEC and Japan, Mrs Christiane Scrivener, Member of the Commission responsible for taxation, customs and consumer affairs, held talks in Brussels on 15 January with Mr Hajime Funada, the Japanese Minister for economic planning, responsible for consumer affairs. The talks covered the consequences of the Single Market for consumers, consumer information and product safety. Mr Funada was particularly interested in the 1985 Directive concerning liability for defective products. Mrs Scrivener and Mr Funada agreed that these first talks should be followed by an exchange of experience and information between the two sides on problems of safety and liability for defective products on the one hand and consumer information on the other. Mrs Scrivener said that "The opening of the Single Market will bring many advantages for consumers; a determined plan of action must be carried out on their behalf, which takes into account all favourable experiences both within and outside the Community". * * *
