Labels and User’s manuals in Hungary

1. Labels and User’s manuals in Hungary Fact Pack 2005 Auckland • Berlin • Beijing • Bratislava • Brussels • Budapest • Chicago • Copenhagen • The Hague • Dublin • Helsinki • Ho Chi Minh City • Istanbul • Johannesburg • London • Lisbon • Los Angeles • Madrid • Milan • Moscow • New Delhi • New York • Oslo • Paris • Prague • Riga • Riyadh • Shanghai • Stockholm • St. Petersburg • Stuttgart • Sydney • Taipei • Tallinn • Tokyo • Toronto • Vienna • Vilnius • Warsaw • Washington • Zurich

2. The Swedish Trade Council makes it easier for Swedish companies to grow internationally Our aim is to be your natural partner both on the world market and at home The STC has international representation, networks, skills and resources to help companies expand in a changing world. Main business areas: Export information Export programmes Export consulting • The Hungarian office receives App. 500 inquiries per year, 38% from Swedish companies • Providing basic information on trade in Hungary and Sweden • ”Match making” between Swedish and Hungarian companies • Free of charge for clients • Governmentally supported • programs • - Seminars, conferences and exhibitions (joint • exhibition stand) • - Programs for • selected industries - Programs for specially • selected markets • Projects tailor made for client • Providing full management consulting services, but focused on market analysis • Increasing volume of assignments on multiple markets • Consulting fees charged Visiting address in Budapest: Swedish Trade Council, Váci út 22-24, 1132 Budapest, Hungary Tel.: +36 1 270 0580; Fax: +36 1 270 0579; E-mail: Ungern@swedishtrade.se

3. Table of Contents • Overall summary • Labelling • User's manual • General Inspectorate for Consumer Protection

4. Overall summary • Act CLV of 1997 on Consumer Protection is the act that regulate the product labels and the user’s manuals. • The interest of introducing this act is to provide proper protection of consumer interests, with special emphasis on the safety of goods and services, protection of property, proper information and education, efficient legal remedy, and on consumer protection through social organizations. • It is not allowed to market products without a product label in Hungarian. The product label shall include – among other things - a precise description of the goods, the name and address of the manufacturer or distributor of the goods and the place of origin of the goods. • Certain goods defined in other legal regulations may only be placed on the market with a user's manual and instructions attached. The user's manual and instructions shall provide clear, understandable information to consumers in Hungarian on the use, application, preservation and handling of the goods. • General Inspectorate for Consumer Protection (GICP) was created by the Hungarian Administration on the basis of the professional past of the General Commercial Authority for Market Surveillance in the year 1991. Within the General Inspectorate for Consumer Protection there are a central inspectorate of the capital city and also 19 county inspectorates.

5. Act CLV of 1997 on Consumer Protection Chapter IV. - Consumer Information The Purpose of Information Section 8. Consumer information shall be suitable for providing consumers a) with adequate knowledge for selecting such goods or service, furthermore with basic knowledge regarding the basic attributes and characteristics of the goods and services necessary for the use of goods and services and the maintenance of goods, the quality, price or fee of the goods and services, instructions relative to the use of goods and any hazards associated with such use, b) basic information necessary for enforcing his rights. Labeling Section 9. With the exception of certain goods defined in other legal regulations, goods may only be placed on the market if the label, affixed on the packaging or some other place but inseparable from the goods, contains the data necessary for rendering information to consumers and for regulatory inspections as defined in Section 10 in a legible, clear and understandable fashion in the Hungarian language. Source: http://www.fvf.hu

6. Act CLV of 1997 on Consumer Protection Chapter IV. - Consumer Information Section 10. (1) The label of goods shall include a) a precise description of the goods, which may not be substituted by trade mark or given name; b) the name and address of the manufacturer or distributor of the goods in a manner which allows for identification; c) the place of origin of the goods. (2) Depending on the type and purpose of the goods, the label shall, in addition to the provisions of Subsection (1), also include: a) the dimensions, net quantity of the goods in the measurement unit or number of articles characteristic to the goods, b) the ingredients used for manufacturing (qualitative and quantitative composition), c) the date of expiration or the projected date up until which quality is guaranteed, d) the basic technical specifications of the goods, e) the quality rating, f) the energy consumption specifications, Source: http://www.fvf.hu

7. Act CLV of 1997 on Consumer Protection Chapter IV. - Consumer Information g) environmental preservation or nature conservation features (relative to the materiel employed, to the method of manufacture or to use), and the nature of environmental damage with regard to the goods for which, in accordance with Act LIII of 1995 on the General Rules of Environmental Protection and with other legal regulations, environmental fees or product fees must be paid. h) the conformity marking, or the permit number for goods subject to licensing requirements. (3) If justified by the nature of the goods, the label shall provide adequate information on any hazards attributed to the use of the goods during their presumed life cycle in a manner to enable consumers to estimate such hazards and to take the necessary preventive measures. (4) The contents of the label may be displayed in text, numbers, images, diagrams, markings or signs in compliance with the provisions of Subsections (1)-(3). Section 11.With regard to the contents and appearance of labels of goods, other statutes may prescribe additional detailed regulations. User's Manual and Instructions Source: http://www.fvf.hu

8. Act CLV of 1997 on Consumer Protection Chapter IV.Consumer Information - User's manual Chapter IV. The Purpose of Information Section 12. (1) Certain goods defined in other legal regulations may only be placed on the market with a user's manual and instructions attached. (2) The user's manual and instructions shall provide clear, understandable information to consumers in the Hungarian language on the use, application, preservation and handling of the goods (hereinafter jointly referred to as "proper use"), thus in particular a) instructions, conditions and knowledge related to the proper use of the goods, b) information on any special storage and handling requirements required to preserve quality if such attributes may have significant influence on the date of expiration or the life-cycle of the goods. (3) For imported goods, a Hungarian language version of the user's manual and instruction whose contents shall be identical to the foreign language versions of the instruction shall be made available to consumers. Source: http://www.fvf.hu

9. General Inspectorate for Consumer Protection • From the 1st of March 1998 the activities of the General Inspectorate are basically determined by the Consumer Protection Act (Act CLV. 1997.) functioning as a special constitution of both consumers and those acting in the interests of their protection. Accordingly, the essential tasks of the General Inspectorate, related to the products and consumer services, are as follows: • protection of the life, health and safety of the consumers • protection of consumers' interests • the provision of adequate information to the consumers • taking part in consumer protection education • The duties of the GICP, in greater detail, are the following: • investigation of the safety of products and services • assisting the enforcement and, if necessary, the enforcement of the legal regulations adapted in conformity with those of the EU in relation to market surveillance • supervision of the enforcement of the regulations of the Consumer Protection Act • performing duties related to advertising supervision Source: Ministry of Economy and Transport

10. General Inspectorate for Consumer Protection • operation of the Central Market Surveillance Information Network, helping in this way to filter-out those products which may pose a threat to the life and safety of the consumers • fact-finding investigation of consumers' complaints and taking the relevant measures as a result of those • providing information to consumers in the form of various printed matter and the publication of the results of comparative tests. • Coordinates of the General InspectorateVisiting add: 1088 Budapest, József krt. 6Add: 1364. Budapest, Pf. 234.Tel: +36 1 459-4800Fax: +36 1 210 4677Email: fvf@fvf.huInternet: http://www.fvf.hu Source: Ministry of Economy and Transport