Test-Achats (Executive)
Member no.: 324
Joining date: 13 Mar 1960
Operational language: English, French
Member type: Full member
Type of Work: Campaigning and/or lobbying, Consumer Advice, Consumer Legislation, Dispute Resolution, Networking, Product Testing, Publishing, Research/Policy analysis
Location: Belgium
Telephone: +32 2 542 3489
Fax: +32 2 542 3367
Main contact: Serge Maucq
Position: Head of Press and Advocacy
Description
Test-Achats was established in 1957 by a handful of volunteers on the model of UK and US comparative testing-based consumer organisations. It is one of the founding members of IOCU (International Organisation of Consumers Unions) later known as Consumers International. Its main objectives are to inform, represent and defend consumers. The magazine 'Test Achats' started as a quarterly in 1959 but rapidly became a monthly publication. At the end of the 80s, Test-Achats concluded a series of partnership agreements with consumer organisations from Spain (OCU), Italy (Altroconsumo) and Portugal (DECO) which eventually led to the creation of the Conseur Group in 1990. Today Conseur publishes over 20 different journals and has a combined readership of more than 1 million subscribers to its main magazines. Test-Achats has a long experience in the field of CSR. In 2005-2006, Test-Achats coordinated the EU-funded project 'CSR and consumer-awareness'. It is also famous for its virulent opposition to efforts by the music industry to enforce copy protection at the expense of consumer rights, taking to court music majors for installing anti-piracy systems on CDs in 2004. Competition, food safety, the environment and the financial sector are other areas where Test-Achats has a long-track record of activities on behalf of Belgian and European consumers.