site.btaEU Commissioner for Justice Participates in Discussion on New Consumer Programme

The European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, took part in a discussion on a new Consumer Programme of the European Union held at the House of Europe here on Thursday. Consumers in Bulgaria are worried about inflation as a consequence of the war in Ukraine, but also of the higher prices of energy resources and food, he said. Also, mobile customers were dissatisfied with a recent price hike. People who take out payday loans are vulnerable since debt collection firms harass and threaten customers when they are late with repayments, but fortunately, this is well regulated in Bulgaria. There are studies showing that traders are involved in illegal practices in up to 90% of cases. All these concerns and other issues that have built up over time will be addressed by the EU's new Consumer Programme, Reynders said at the opening of the event. He added that the programme should reflect and build on the achievements of national legislation in this area, while reaching out to consumers across the EU.

The programme proposes actions at the national and EU levels to be implemented by Member States over the next five years. These include a new legislative proposal to provide consumers with better information on the sustainability of products, an adaptation of the existing legislation to the digital transformation, and an action plan with China on the safety of products imported in the EU.

Better access to institutions protecting consumer rights and mechanisms for out-of-court settlement between consumers and traders are other measures. Measures are also being developed to reduce consumers' vulnerability on the internet. In the coming year, the European Commission will propose that better information be provided to consumers about the sustainability of products. Practices including misleading environmental claims or planned obsolescence will be tackled.

Bulgaria’s Economy and Industry Minister Bogdan Bogdanov, who participated in Thursday’s discussion, said consumer protection is as important to the Government as accession to the euro area. He talked about the need to improve consumer awareness.

The participants also discussed protection from misleading online information and bringing EU and national legislation in line with the digital revolution.