The results of implementing the Joint Action Program of the Eurasian Economic Union countries on consumer rights protection and the prospects for developing the Eurasian integration in this field were considered on May 16 at a meeting of the EAEU States’ Advisory Committee on Consumer Rights Protection chaired by Valentin Tataritsky, Minister in charge of Technical Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission.
The EEC Minister emphasized the importance of defining the priorities of the Union countries’ joint work until 2030, where special attention should be paid to strengthening public confidence in state and public institutions of consumer rights protection amid the development of digitalization, introduction of innovative technologies and intelligent services in the fields of trade and services.
The Advisory Committee members emphasized the importance of exchange of views and experience at the relevant session of the 6th Eurasian Digital Forum to be held as part of the program of the 30th International Forum on Information and Communication Technologies TIBO-2024 on June 5–8 this year in Minsk.
The Commission presented an analysis of the EAEU countries’ legislation and the Union’s law, which revealed that the mechanism for respecting the consumer interests is underdeveloped and not regulated. In this regard, the Advisory Committee members proposed to organize a “consumer-entrepreneur” dialogue within the EAEU Business Council, as well as to develop procedures for assessing the consequences of the introduced regulation to respect the consumers’ interests.
The next step towards the formation of mechanisms for respecting the consumers’ interests will include the generation of proposals to improve the procedures for elaborating draft regulatory acts relating to the consumers’ interests.
The meeting discussed a report on exercising in the EAEU countries the rights of citizens to after-sales service for technically sophisticated goods. The consumers’ risks associated with inadequate post-warranty maintenance, as well as the prospects for establishing requirements to services for operating technically sophisticated goods, were considered.
It was noted that consumers face the problem common to all Union countries — misconduct of sellers and service centers that impose additional services, as well as insufficient awareness of citizens in this field.
The differences in consumer rights protection mechanisms when buying low-quality goods in the EAEU countries were discussed.
In order to minimize the identified differences and to ensure equal conditions for consumer rights protection when buying technically sophisticated goods, the Advisory Committee initiated the preparation of the Commission’s relevant recommendation for the Union countries.
