More World Consumer Rights Day messages

On March 12 we carried a message from Minister Censu Galea who, among other things, is responsible for consumer affairs and, as promised last week, today we have Barbara Buttigieg's and Carmen Delia's Consumer Rights Day messages:

As happens every year, on World Consumer Rights day (March 15), the Consumer and Competition Division organised a family activity to commemorate this occasion. Prizes were presented by the Information and Consumer Affairs Directorate of this Division to those children who had participated and won various consumer related competitions which were carried out throughout the scholastic year in school magazines.

The objective of this annual activity is to give the Division an opportunity to meet these young participants. In the course of the evening, which included both dancing and singing numbers, they were also given information about consumer rights through humorous sketches by the well-known presenters Claire Agius Ordway and Sander.

Prizes given during this activity were sponsored by Merlin Book Shop while Go Mobile and Vodafone donated mobile phones which were raffled during the evening. Marsovin Ltd provided juices and water for the participants.

The directorate's awareness campaign is an ongoing effort aimed at informing and educating consumers on their rights and obligations. Leaflets and other publications are produced. Officials from the directorate participate regularly in radio and television programmes in order to deliver consumer-related information to different categories of consumers, not only on this occasion, but throughout the whole year.

However, during this annual activity we celebrate the fact that consumers are protected as regards their right to safety, to basic needs, to choice, to be heard, to be informed, to redress, and the right to a healthy environment.

Together these rights form the basis for ongoing work by consumer groups worldwide. In Malta consumers can benefit from the excellent service from the officials at our offices, when they encounter situations wherein they need assistance to solve problems which might crop up from time to time with traders.

The staff attached to the Information and Consumer Affairs Directorate, within the Consumer and Competition Division (CCD) in St Venera and Valletta, are always ready to help consumers obtain an amicable solution with the respective traders, and the Quality Service Charter obliges our officials to deal with such enquiries or complaints within established time frames. However, in the absence of an amicable solution, consumers can choose to refer their case to the Consumer Claims Tribunal. Consumers who require more information may contact us on Freephone 8007 4400. We are always there to help you! (Barbara Buttigieg, director, Information and Consumer Affairs Directorate.)

Here follows Mrs Delia's message:

On the occasion of World Consumer Rights Day, the Consumer Affairs Council (CAC), in conjunction with the International Association of Consumer Law (IACL), organised the first Regional Consumer Law Conference in Malta on March 16 and 17. The conference, entitled "Promoting Consumer Interests", was divided into three sessions - Sale of Goods, Consumer Credit, and Unfair Commercial Practices. The purpose of the conference was primarily to promote discussion and awareness about specific consumer law issues among stakeholders including members of the legal profession, the private industry and business, public regulatory authorities, and consumer organisations.

In my opening address, I thanked the Minister for Competitiveness and Communications, Censu Galea the Consumer and Competition Division and APS Bank among others for their support in making this event a success.

In his address, Minister Galea welcomed the initiative in holding this conference in Malta and the importance of the subjects being discussed. There was another address by Professor Geraint Howells who explained the objectives of IACL.

The first session on sales of goods to consumers focused on the implementation of the EU Directive on sales of goods, the experience of different jurisdictions, and the developments occurring within the EU. One issue which raised considerable discussion was whether this aspect of consumer law should be part of a country's civil code thus providing similar rights to all buyers not only consumers, or whether - as is the case in Malta it should form part of a consumer code.

The next session dealt with consumer credit with a particular focus on the proposed new EU directive on consumer credit and the experience in countries outside the EU including the USA.The final session on the new EU directive unfair commercial practices was characterised by some lively interventions criticising the approach taken by the EU in doing away with the minimalist approach and focusing more on the need to promote the internal market and ensure a level playing field rather than on enhancing consumer protection. One point raised was that this approach signifies that member states are actually prohibited from implementing measures in favour of consumers that go beyond the rights stated in this Directive. (Carmen Delia, chairman, Consumer Affairs Council)

I thank Ms Buttigieg and Mrs Delia for their interesting messages.