Consumer Protection: Law Approved

The Parliamentary Committee on European Affairs and Control of European Funds approved on first reading the Draft Law Amending and Supplementing the Consumer Protection Act.

The vote took place today, with nine members voting "for" and two abstaining.

The Council of Ministers submitted the draft law to the National Assembly on August 20.

The Members of Parliament were briefed on the project by Emil Alexiev, Director of the "Consumer Policy" Directorate at the Ministry of Economy and Industry.

The proposal is key to harmonizing Bulgarian legislation with European directives and regulations.

It specifically transposes Directive (EU) 2020/1828 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2020 concerning representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers, and repeals Directive 2009/22/EC.

The draft law is also a necessary step for the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2023/988 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 on the general safety of products, as well as for establishing market surveillance, according to the reasons of the proposer.

Mr. Alexiev"s presentation emphasized that Bulgaria is not starting from scratch in the field of protection of the collective interests of consumers.

"Bulgaria was the only country from the former Central and Eastern European countries that had legislation for the protection of the collective interests of consumers", he told the MPs, adding that the proposed amendments aim to build on the existing legal framework and practice in this area.

This is an important aspect that shows Bulgaria"s proactive approach to protecting consumer rights, achieved despite the challenges of the transition.

After the end of the meeting, the chairman of the committee, Dimitar Gardev, announced that from now on, representatives of the ministries will be invited to each meeting to present information on the implementation of the operational programs.

This new decision aims to ensure greater transparency and effective control over the spending of European funds.

The hall is filled with the expected tension from the significance of this legislation, along with the optimism for successful integration with European standards.