The EU funded project “Strengthening Consumer Protection in Serbia” which was supposed to be completed by February 10, 2014, will be prolonged for three months. The main beneficiary of the project is the Ministry of Foreign and Internal Trade and Telecommunications.
The project’s most significant results are the draft of the new Law on Consumer Protection and Consumer Protection Strategy for the period (2013 – 2018), which are the result of the efforts of the Ministry, of European and Serbian experts in the field of consumer protection, consumer protection associations and other relevant authorities.
In the upcoming period, the team of the “Strengthening Consumer Protection in Serbia” project will direct their activities towards the promotion of the most important legislation with the aim of comprehensive consumer protection in Serbia.
During the past two and a half years, the project has implemented activities for the improvement of the protection of the rights and interests of consumers in the Republic of Serbia in line with the acquis and best practices of the European Union – activities to improve legislation in the field of consumer protection, analysis and studies, educational activities for improving capacity and the cooperation between stakeholders as well as a series of informative activities to raise public awareness about consumer protection policies.
“The draft of the new Law on Consumer Protection, which is awaiting adoption, is fully compliant with the latest developments in consumer rights at the EU level and provides several new features with the intent of effectively and efficiently implementing consumer rights in practice”, said Thierry Bourgoignie, Project Team Leader and Key Legal Expert.
“The forming of a special sector for Consumer Protection in the Ministry of Foreign and Internal Trade and Telecommunications as well as the greater role of local governments in the support of consumer protection associations that operate at a local level are new measures that aim to strengthen the institutional framework of consumer protection in Serbia. In addition, the draft provides for a greater role of consumer protection associations in the definition and implementation of consumer policy, as well as broadening the range of market surveillance inspections in order to establish a more comprehensive consumer protection system and to provide more effective law enforcement”, said Thierry Bourgoignie, Project Team Leader and Key Legal Expert.
