On 19 November 2008 European Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva officially launched the first ever European Masters in Consumer Affairs. The Masters will be an EU-backed degree programme, offered in 13 European cities across 9 Member States: Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Poland, Romania and UK. Wageningen University is one of the 13 participating universities.
The aim is to introduce professional training in consumer affairs, so that trained professionals can be brought on to the job market to drive forward consumer issues in business, in policy-making and within consumer organisations themselves. A European professional qualification in this domain does not yet exist and this new University Masters degree aims to fill that gap. The curricula will include consumer protection law, analysis of consumer behaviour and psychology, economics, marketing, consumer-oriented technology and/or sustainable consumption. Businesses, governments and consumer organisations have already indicated an interest in hiring such trained professionals. The European Commission has been active in helping to create these courses and is backing them financially.
Launching the programme at the University de Haute Alsace in Colmar (France), Commissioner Kuneva said: "Looking at current events, such as the financial turmoil and rising prices, we cannot overstate the importance of protecting and promoting consumers’ rights and interests. I am therefore particularly pleased that consumer empowerment is now firmly a part of university training in Europe".
The new Masters courses will begin in autumn 2009 (i.e. the 2009/10 academic year). Students can apply to take part in these courses directly through the university in question, as with any other course. The degree will take up to two years to complete, and students will be required to spend a part of their time at a partner university in another EU country. Mutual recognition of this qualification throughout the EU will be arranged before the courses start. Each of the 13 universities will get EU funding of € 50,000 per year over three years to prepare and run the courses. The EU will also fund 260 student grants of up to € 3,000 each.