Romania

[RO] New Rules on Consumer Information Adopted by ANPC

IRIS 2010-5:1/33

Mariana Stoican

Journalist, Bucharest

Public Order No. 72/2010 issued by the Head of the Autoritatea Naţională pentru Protecţia Consumatorilor (National Consumer Protection Authority - ANPC) and published on 15 March 2010 in the Monitorul Oficial al României (Romanian Official Gazette) contains a number of measures aimed at improving consumer information. The new rules came into force 30 days after their publication.

The new provisions include a rule that administrators of websites on which goods are offered, online orders are taken and/or advertising is accepted for certain products and/or services - such as e-commerce articles, tourist services or airline tickets - are obliged to insert a direct link from their home page (first page) to the ANPC’s website (www.anpc.gov.ro) together with the text PROTECTIA CONSUMATORILOR - ANPC (Consumer Protection - ANPC). The provision of telephone numbers (whether free or not) for contacting the consumer advice agencies is not a substitute for the obligation to provide the required link.

According to Hotărârea de Guvern nr. 284/2009 privind organizarea şi funcţionarea Autorităţii Naţionale pentru Protecţia Consumatorilor (Government Decision No. 284/2009 on the organisation and operation of the Consumer Protection Authority), the ANPC is a specialist central government body with legal personality (section 1(1)).

The Consumer Protection Authority co-ordinates and carries out the government’s consumer protection strategy and policy, takes preventive action and combats practices that may have a harmful effect on the lives, health and economic interests of consumers (section 2(1)).