Consumer protection: changes in legislation

State legislation will in the coming days become a new basis for consumer protection, bringing Greek law into line with European law.

The new system will be another tool price containment and consumer protectionas it provides a “brake” against abusive general terms of trade, duty to disclose prices, protection against unfair commercial practices, and strengthening of consumer rights, reports iefimerida.gr.

The main objectives of the Consumer Protection Bill are:

• increasing the transparency of transactions between business and consumer,
• imposing additional obligations on online markets (trading platforms),
• ensuring the protection of the rights of consumers of digital services,
• strengthening the legal framework and sanctions.

What does this mean for consumer protection?

• The scope of sanctions (fines) imposed on merchants in case of non-compliance with their obligations for discounts, promotions and illegal work on Sundays has been tightened.
• A commercial practice is considered misleading if it may lead the consumer to make a decision about a transaction that he or she would not otherwise take, and this practice includes, among other things, any commercial promotion of a product as being identical to that sold in other Member States of the European Union. , while the goods in question have a clearly different composition or characteristics, unless justified by legal and objective factors.
• The consumer is given the opportunity, in case of unfair commercial practice, to demand a price reduction or termination of the contract.
• Вводятся новые определения цифровых услуг, онлайн-рынка, поставщика онлайн-рынка, совместимости, возможностей и функциональной совместимости (επιγραμμική αγορά, τον πάροχο επιγραμμικής αγοράς, τη συμβατότητα, τις δυνατότητες λειτουργίας και τη διαλειτουργικότητα).
• Changes have been made to the requirements for providing information (applies to remote and out-of-store purchases).
• Special information obligations are introduced for the supplier under contracts concluded on Internet exchanges regarding consumer information.
• It is planned to extend the current service withdrawal period from 14 to 30 days (for contracts for travel packages, excursion services).
• The obligations of the supplier and the consumer are defined when the latter refuses remote or out-of-store purchases.
• Exceptions are the right of the consumer to withdraw from the above purchase agreements.
• The scope of administrative sanctions imposed for violations related to consumer protection has been redefined, with an increase in the amount of fines imposed, etc.
• Various issues related to the protection of a minor consumer are regulated (issuing a Code of Conduct and imposing sanctions on companies in case of its violation, determining bodies for conducting inspections and imposing sanctions, etc.)

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