Every year, March 15 is observed as World Consumer Rights Day worldwide.

Consumer Justice Now is the theme of World Consumer Rights Day 2013. Consumers International (CI) is urging members and supporters to take the opportunity to expose the damage caused by poor or non-existent consumer protection around the world.

In Europe, the focus is on product safety and market surveillance. The European Commission recently proposed a new package of legislative and non-legislative measures to improve consumer product safety and to strengthen market surveillance of products in the EU.

The day has its origin in former US President John Kennedy’s declaration of four basic consumer rights in his March 15, 1962 message to the US Congress: Right to safety, right to be informed, right to choose and right to be heard.

“Consumers, by definition, include us all,” Kennedy had said. “They are the largest economic group, affecting and affected by almost every public and private economic decision. Yet they are the only important group... whose views are often not heard.”

To these four basic rights, CI added four others: right to satisfaction of basic needs, right to redress, right to education and right to a healthy environment.

World Consumer Rights Day was first observed in 1983. Two years later, on April 9, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the guidelines for consumer protection and approved the idea to declare March 15 as World Consumer Rights Day.

This year, the MCCAA is launching an EU-funded national awareness campaign for consumers and traders on the new regulations, rights and obligations within the context of EU consumer and competition legislation.

The first activity will take place on April 4 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre.

For further details visit the authority’s website www.mccaa.org.mt.

The campaign will also include a number of TV spots.

odette.vella@mccaa.org.mt

Ms Vella is senior information officer, Office for Consumer Affairs, Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority.