CONSUMER PROTECTION SYSTEM IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

1. CONSUMER PROTECTION SYSTEM IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA Ljiljana Stankovic, MA Ministry of Trade and Services Assistant Minister for Trade, Price Policy and Consumer Protection Zagreb, March 10th, 2010

2. CONSUMER PROTECTION LEGISLATION Adopted Laws • Law on Competition Protection • Law on General Product Safety • Law on Food Safety • Law on E-Commerce In procedure • Draft Law on Consumer Protection • Draft Law on Trade • Drafting of new Law on Advertising • Initiative for amending Law on Liability of Producers for Defective Goods

3. DRAFT LAW ON CONSUMER PROTECTION • Key EU legislation have been transposed • Numerous public debates carried out • Adoptionof the new Law on Consumer Protection is envisaged for the second quarter of 2010. • Following the adoption of the Law on CP enactment of the by-laws necessary for enforcement of the Law will be adopted

4. ENFORCEMENTPRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL CONSUMER PROTECTION PROGRAMME

5. PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL CONSUMER PROTECTION PROGRAMME(1) • National Programme for CP 2007-2012 - strategic foundation for implementation of consumer policy • “Strengthening consumer protection in Serbia”- Аnnual programme for consumer protection for 2010 : • Building administrative capacities of MTS and strengthening cooperation with other institutions in the area of consumer protection • Improving information of consumers and building capacities of consumer organisations.

6. PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL CONSUMER PROTECTION PROGRAMME(2) • The objectives of the realisation of the Annual programme for 2010: • Improving legislative framework in the area of consumer protection though further harmonisation of legislation with EU acquis and adoption of acts and rules in accordance with the new Law on Consumer Protection and Law on Protection of Competition; • Improving and building institutional framework of all actors of consumer protection though capacity building; • Strengthening and establishing cooperation of individual activities and support in realisation of joint programmes of MTS and other governmental institutions, local self-governments, consumer organisations and all institutions in the consumer protection system in Serbia; and • Upgrading and developing a concept and information system through a network of determined key stakeholders in order to raise the awareness and information of consumers on their rights.

7. IMPROVING INFORMATION AND EDUCATION OF CONSUMERS AND OTHER RELEVANT ACTORS AND GROUPS ON THE MARKET • Due to the need to raise awareness on consumer policy, MTS realised the following activities in 2009: • Presentation of the new Draft Law on CP • Distribution of educational material: • “SAA and Consumer Protection”; • “SAA and Product safety” ; • “SAA and Competition Protection” and • “Guide for Purchasing via Internet” • Initiating publishing a “Consumer” page in the daily newspaper “Politika”, which discusses current consumer issues, not only from the aspect of the state institutions, but also from the point of view of consumer organisations. • MTS produced: • Poster “Consumers and traders on the same task”;and • 5leafletson key consumer issues in Serbia: promotional trips, TV quiz shows, imposed purchase, mobile telephony, and e-commerce (in cooperation with ZAP project) (Distribution on March15th– World Consumer Day 2010)

9. CREATING INSTITUTIONAL CONDITIONS • Consumer Protection Department • Established within Sector for Trade, Prices and Consumer Protection (9 employees) • Regular sessions of the Minister’s Council for Consumer Protection • Providing guidelines and initiatives for the purpose of efficient implementation of consumer policy

10. RELATION WITH NGO • 2009 MTS public call for project proposals for Consumer Organisations on “Information and Advising of Consumers”– two projects: • Monthly publication “Consumer Reporter” and • Electronic edition of the magazine “Consumer-Info” • Capacity building for COs: • MTS organised seminars on “Project Cycle Management” to introduce them to procedures of preparing and implementing the projects financed by domestic and international funds • In collaboration with the ZAP project trainings on: management of consumer organisations, COs and national consumer policy, organisation and management of consumer advice services, project management for COs, collective actions procedures, out of court settlement for consumer disputes

11. FURTHER ACTIVITIES-ESTABLISHING OF CALL CENTRE • Call centre I phase: establishingCallcentre II phase : transformingCallcentre into an advisory centre III phase : creating an integral centre for consumer protection • Objective of the Call centre – creating the basis for development of an efficient system for resolution of consumer issues

12. Support to the Call centre for consumer protection: Support of consumer associations in mediation between consumers and traders Public competition and selection of associations Funds from the budget for 2010, subsidies to NGOs Requirements for participation (the most important one: territorial coverage of Serbia); Provided technical and human resources for realisation of the project; and Training of CO representatives (at first, each regional centre one person trained for contact and problem solving). INVOLVEMENT OF CP ORGANISATION

13. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND ASSISTANCE • Approved extension of the ZAP project (CARDS 2006) until October 2010 • IPA 2009 – “Strengthening consumer protection in Serbia” • Further improvement of legal framework; • Improving the coordination of individual activities and support to the realisation of joint programmes of MTS and other government bodies, local self-governments and consumer organisations; • Developing a concept for a unified information system (online platform) • Capacity building of the institutions within the consumer protection system, MTS and other relevant governmental and non-governmental bodies • GTZ – Study on implementation of consumer policy in Serbia-

14. THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION! Ministry of Trade and Services 22-26 Nemanjina str, Belgrade