Consumer protection organisations to launch national strategy Moldova’s Consumer Protection National Council intends to launch the national strategy of the consumer protection by the end of this year. The institution has been founded by the League for Consumer Rights Protection, Public Movement for Consumer Protection “Pro-consumator”, and the Centre for Consumer Protection. According to the League’s chairman, Roman Mihaies, the Council collaborates at the working out of the Strategy with the Standard and Metrology Service, which is also the responsible body of protecting consumer rights in Moldova. The draft of the strategy could be exposed to public debates in September. Mihaies mentioned that at present, there is need for adjusting the Moldovan legislative and institutional space to the standards outlined in the EU-Moldova Action Plan and from the perspective of Moldova’s accession to the EU. In order for this to happen, Mihaies says, a National Agency of consumer protection should be created, which would be the state’s specialised body, including experts and labs, with the right to remove products from sale, following the example of other countries, including Romania. According to the expert, secondly, alternative forms of judicial solutions need to be instituted – the so-called arbitral courts, recommended by the European Commission. Mihaies says that at present, litigations concerning consumer protection have relatively little value and it is not logically that they are solved in 3 courts – district courts, Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Justice. This fact discourages the consumers, who spend too much time, because the proceedings can last even more than a year, and incur great financial expanses, because in case of losing the litigation, consumers risk to pay legal services of 10 to 20 thousand lei. The Arbitration, which would be an institution with permanent activity, is to be constituted from specialists in the field, who within a week would be able to give a decision for a particular litigation, after examining the documents handed in by the consumer and the company involved. The arbitral court’s decision could be appealed in court. Moldova’s Consumer Protection National Council has the aim of promoting the policy of effective protection of consumer rights, experience exchange and the strengthening of NGOs in the field, the facilitation of the dialogue with other social partners, working out joint programmes, establishing the dialogue with donor organisations and promoting a constructive dialogue with the authorities. Moldova’s Consumer Protection National Council intends to launch the national strategy of the consumer protection by the end of this year. The institution has been founded by the League for Consumer Rights Protection, Public Movement for Consumer Protection “Pro-consumator”, and the Centre for Consumer Protection. According to the League’s chairman, Roman Mihaies, the Council collaborates at the working out of the Strategy with the Standard and Metrology Service, which is also the responsible body of protecting consumer rights in Moldova. The draft of the strategy could be exposed to public debates in September. Mihaies mentioned that at present, there is need for adjusting the Moldovan legislative and institutional space to the standards outlined in the EU-Moldova Action Plan and from the perspective of Moldova’s accession to the EU. In order for this to happen, Mihaies says, a National Agency of consumer protection should be created, which would be the state’s specialised body, including experts and labs, with the right to remove products from sale, following the example of other countries, including Romania. According to the expert, secondly, alternative forms of judicial solutions need to be instituted – the so-called arbitral courts, recommended by the European Commission. Mihaies says that at present, litigations concerning consumer protection have relatively little value and it is not logically that they are solved in 3 courts – district courts, Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Justice. This fact discourages the consumers, who spend too much time, because the proceedings can last even more than a year, and incur great financial expanses, because in case of losing the litigation, consumers risk to pay legal services of 10 to 20 thousand lei. The Arbitration, which would be an institution with permanent activity, is to be constituted from specialists in the field, who within a week would be able to give a decision for a particular litigation, after examining the documents handed in by the consumer and the company involved. The arbitral court’s decision could be appealed in court. Moldova’s Consumer Protection National Council has the aim of promoting the policy of effective protection of consumer rights, experience exchange and the strengthening of NGOs in the field, the facilitation of the dialogue with other social partners, working out joint programmes, establishing the dialogue with donor organisations and promoting a constructive dialogue with the authorities.