In 2012, a total of 2,278 measures against dangerous non-food products, were taken by Member States and reported in the EU Rapid Information system (RAPEX). This indicates a 26% rise in alerts when compared to 2011 figures, an increase that could be attributed to the improved enforcement work carried out by the authorities in EU countries. RAPEX is the EU rapid alert system between Member States and the Commission on non-food products. Its role is to disseminate information quickly on potentially dangerous consumer products. This allows for earlier identification and earlier removal from EU markets of products that could pose a risk to consumers, such as children's clothing, textiles and electrical appliances which do not meet safety standards. >>>

The European Club Health project has produced a series of resources to support local, national and European policymakers and practitioners develop healthier and safer nightlife environments.

Nightlife plays a key role in modern life, being a major aspect of young people’s recreation and an important source of employment, economic development and tourism. However, nightlife can also present a range of problems, including drunkenness, drug use, anti-social behaviour, violence, injury and risky sexual behaviour. The development of safe nightlife settings is a growing priority across Europe, where town and city authorities must manage not only the recreational habits of their own youth, but also those from other countries as international tourism increases. Effectively managing nightlife is critical in protecting the health of young people and reducing the burdens that night time antisocial behaviour can place on public services and society. Here can you download the guidelines and recommendations,  and the factsheet.

More than three-quarters of the consumers would willing to pay a premium for products that are produced according to the strictest safety standards – the research of the TÜV SÜD quality management firm states. In the survey, 5,000 people were interviewed in China, India, Japan, in the UK and in the U.S.A. 77 percent of the surveyed would willing to pay a 16 percent  premium fee for products that are produced according to the strictest safety standards. 63 percent of the respondents agreed that the safety of products is “very important” for them. In 2007 only 47 percent of them thought it so.

We are getting more and more ably in saving money: with larger technical equipments we are waiting for the seasonal fall of prices and we are taking advantage of the preferential commercial credit options. During this year’s discount winter sales we took more than one and a half times as much into our “basket” from the most popular technical products than a year ago – the commercial credit datas of Cetelem shows. The popularity of the temporarily available 0% APR remains undiminished, and we use credit cards providing discounts throughout the year with more courage.

Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, Tonio Borg, welcomed the vote of the European Parliament on Alternative Dispute Resolution and Online Dispute Resolution (ADR-ODR) today. This vote confirms the agreement on the two proposals put forward by the European Commission in 2011.  >>>

World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) is an annual international occasion. The day aims to enhance solidarity within the international consumer movement. March 15 gives us an opportunity to promote the basic rights of all consumers. This was the day when USA President John F Kennedy had first outlined the definition of Consumer Rights in 1962. WCRD demands consumer rights to be respected and protected. It also promotes peaceful protests against the market abuses and social injustices.  >>>

On 12 March 2013, the European Parliament voted to support the new legislation on Alternative Dispute Resolution and Online Dispute Resolution. The vote confirms the political agreement reached in December 2012 on the two legislative proposals put forward by the European Commission in 2011. The new legislation will now soon be adopted. >>>

"Consumer Justice Now!" will be the theme of World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2013. Consumers International (CI) is urging its members and supporters to use the occasion to expose the very real damage caused by poor or non-existent consumer protection around the world.  >>>

We would like to hereby inform the public that the Travel Expo will open for the 36 times on 28th February 2013. The visitors will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the sights, culture and gastronomy of several countries of five continents. The event has been expanded with new themes, thus in addition to the national and foreign offers the online travel agencies, the destinations of cultural and festival events as well as the offers for honeymoon couples will also be present.

This year the guest of honour is Slovakia, Nyíregyháza and Kalocsa. Spectacular and attracting programs will await for the visitors at their stands.

The European Consumer Centre Hungary looks forward to meeting you and will distribute leaflets with useful information and you can join a consumer protection quiz at its stand 106/D in Pavilion A HUNGEXPO Fair Centre (1101 Budapest, Albertirsai út 10.) from 28 February to 3 March 2013.

Should you have any question, or you just interested in any consumer protection issue, please come and visit our stand.

The sixteenth Hungarian Quality Product Award® application was launched with the introduction of a new category and with the establishment of a new special award. The aim of Hungary’s most prestigious, voluntary certification system is to recognize and reward high-quality Hungarian products and services, as well as to promote quality-conscious approach. Over the past 15 years, a total of 342 awards were handed over by the the announcers of the application. Applications can be submitted until 17 May to this year’s Hungarian Quality Product Award, with products and services manufactured and marketed in Hungary. The prizes will be handed over in September, in the Parliament. You can learn about application conditions more at the www.termeknagydij.hu site.

ECC-Net Annual Report 2012, reveals - European Consumer Centres across the EU handled more than 72,000 enquiries from consumers during 2012. More than half of these contacts related to 32,000 complaints about a purchase made in another EU country, Norway and Iceland. Around 60% of complaints concerned e-commerce. About one third of all complaints related to the transport sector, of which 22% were linked to the air transport. More than half of complex complaints were resolved amicably or passed on to other organisations. The annual report also gives key details on ECC-Net activities in 2012 and success stories per countries where the network operates. You can find the full report here.

The European Commission has today adopted a European Retail Action Plan and a Green Paper on unfair trading practices in the business-to-business food and non-food supply chain. The retail and wholesale services sector is one of the most important in the EU economy and should play an important part in stimulating growth and job creation under the Europe 2020 strategy. It accounts for 11% of EU GDP and 29% of European SMEs and employs nearly 33 million people, offering job opportunities in particular for young people, women and people with lower skill levels or qualifications. However, a number of barriers remain that hinder the smooth functioning of cross-border sourcing, consumer access to cross-border retail services and market entry for retailers.  >>>

According to the experiences of the Hungarian Authority for Consumer Protection (HACP), the number of webshops without any consumer protection problems are increasing: the objection rate has improved from 85 to 70 percent by the end of last year, but was still high. The Association for Electronic Trade (SzEK.org) and the HACP stressed in their joint communication on Friday, that according to the preliminary datas of the eNET market research company, the turnover of webshops was 177 billion HUF in 2012, which is 3 percent of the total retail sales. In one year, about 1.6 million people purchased on the internet, about one in five people over age 14 in Hungary.

The European Commission (EC) has proposed new legislative and non-legislative measures to improve consumer product safety and strengthen market surveillance of all non-food products in the European Union (EU), including those imported from third countries.  The package was adopted by the EC on February 13, 2013, and will be discussed in the European Parliament and in the Council.  The new legislation is expected to come into effect in 2015.  >>>

The European Commission proposed today new rules to improve the safety of consumer products circulating in the Single Market. The two Regulations being proposed, replace several directives and will step-up market surveillance concerning all non-food products, including those imported from 3rd countries. This will contribute both to strengthening consumer protection and to creating a level playing field for businesses. Unsafe products should not reach consumers or other users and their improved identification and traceability will be a key improvement that will help to take them quickly out of the market. Once adopted by the European Parliament and by the Council the new rules will be enforced by the national market surveillance authorities in the Member States which will benefit from strengthened cooperation and enhanced tools to carry out controls.

For further information:

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/safety/psmsp/

On 13 February 2013 the European Commission will present the Product Safety and Market Surveillance Package, which aims at the improvement of the Market Surveillance systems in the EU Member States. The package will be composed of new enforcement rules for the internal market for goods, which will enable national market surveillance authorities to enforce the law and to provide better and more means to ensure consumer protection. In particular, authorities will be able to better track down unsafe products while at the same time the new rules on consumer product safety will simplify the safety rules for consumer products, and merge them into one single piece of legislation.

The three most important parts of the package will be:

1) A proposal for a new Regulation on Consumer Product Safety (CPSR).

2) A proposal for a single Regulation on Market Surveillance for Products - unifying and simplifying existing fragmented legislation.

3) A multi-annual plan for market surveillance of 20 individual actions that the Commission will undertake over the next three years.

As a result of official meetings that were held in the near past, furthermore, considering the importance of the development of consumer protection and market surveillance as a public interest, István Pintér, Director General of the Hungarian Authority for Consumer Protection (HACP) and Małgorzata Krasnodębska-Tomkiel, President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection of the Republic of Poland (UOKIK) committed themselves to renew the agreement of 8 October 2001 on cooperation in the field of consumer protection and market surveillance. >>>

In January 2013 – after months of negotiation – an agreement on cooperation in the field of consumer protection and market surveillance was signed by the HACP and the State Inspectorate of Consumer Rights Protection of Ukraine (DSIU). The Parties are expecting, that the agreement will result the strengthening of professional relations between the respected countries and a more effective protection of cross-border consumer interests. >>>

There are still many infringements occur at product demonstrations, although some improvement can be detected compared to the previous years – shows the report of the Hungarian Authority for Consumer Protection. The authority carried out controls at 180 product presentations between 20 February and 16 October 2012 and identified offenses in 117 cases, so the objection rate was 65 percent compared to the 76 percent in the past. According to the summary 53 percent of the presentations contained unfair trade practices.

The European Parliament’s Health and Food Safety Committee in agreement with the European Council, adopted the draft law under which they would tighten rules on indicating infant formulas and nutritional supplements. The EU Parliament will vote on the draft in the spring. The goal is to get stronger protection for the most vulnerable groups. According to the proposal, images would not be displayed on dairy products manufactured for babies that idealize the consumption of the product. As well the committee will overview the rules of dairy products made ​​for 12 to 36 months children. (Világgazdaság Online)

A high attention should be paid when using the peel of citrus fruits, because surface treatment is carried out on fruits imported to Hungary from far away locations, so the crust may be unsuitable for consumption – warns the National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih). The agency said in a statement that Christmas cakes arealmost unimaginable without citrus, ut only a few people know, that these fruits could be turn sour during the 2-3 days of transportation if a surface treatment would not be carried out after harvesting and would not be treated with surface dehydration inhibiting protective layer. (MTI)

Inspectors found problems one in three cases, during this year’s pre-Christmas test purchases, while last year this rate was 55 percent – Fülöp Zsuzsanna, spokesperson of the Hungarian Authority for Consumer Protection (HACP) told at last Wednesday’s press conference in Budapest. The Inspectors have tested the correct indication of prices, the reality of special offers, information on consumer rights and tried to eliminate the prejudicial acts – said the spokesperson. Inspectors mainly inspected the shopping centers of the large chains, but also visited Christmas fairs and markets. (MTI)

EU consumers have once again expressed their dissatisfaction with the performance of some key services markets, according to the Commission’s 2012 Consumer Markets Scoreboard published today. Banking, telecom and energy services score particularly low. Markets for investment products, mortgages and real estate services stay at rock bottom for the third year in a row. Goods markets appear to do better in living up to customers’ expectations, in spite of poor results scored by the automotive, clothing and meat markets.>>>

EU Consumer Scoreboard says that markets for banking services and for second-hand cars keep failing consumers. The Scoreboard is an annual report that ranks the performance of 51 consumer markets based on consumers’ trust in business, comparability of offers, overall satisfaction and the incidence of complaints and problems. Consumer choice, switching of tariffs/providers and price differences between countries are also monitored. This edition includes, for the first time, complaints data collected according to the harmonised methodology set out in the 2010 Commission Recommendation. The Scoreboard market ranking is a valuable tool for national authorities, consumer organisations and business stakeholders. They use it to identify underperforming markets, to address problems and restore consumer confidence with better enforcement of consumer protection rules, public awareness activities and self-regulatory initiatives.  >>>

Eight major companies in Hungary created the platform of companies that will comply to the voluntary self-restriction of the EU pledge in the presence of Szalai Annamária, President of the National Media and Communications Authority. In the scope of the ceremonial signature, the representatives of Coca-Cola, Danone, Ferrero, Intersnack, Kraft Foods, Mars, Nestlé and Unilever have confirmed that they do not advertise their products – except products customized specifically for the nutritional needs of children – to a media audience that consist of at least 35 percent of children under the age of 12.

Just in time for the holidays and gifts shopping season, the European Commission today publishes the results of an EU wide screening of websites selling games, books, videos and music which can be downloaded to a computer or mobile device. The check shows that over 75% of these websites do not appear to comply with consumer protection rules. This is all the more worrying when vulnerable consumers, i.e. children, are targeted. Users have to click their way through a maze of contract terms, to find out how much they will eventually have to pay and children are frequently lured into purchasing items related to supposedly free games. In case of a problem, reaching the after-sales service is often difficult as contact information is missing in more than one third of the websites. National enforcement authorities will now contact the companies concerned to enable them to clarify their position or correct their website. >>>

Seventy percent of the consumers believe that consumer rights are stonger in shopping centers than in small individual shops – shows the research of  Nielsen and the CP Contact Fogyasztóvédelmi Tanácsadó Kft. (CP Contact Consumer Protection Consulting Ltd.), which was carried out with the contribution of the Hungarian Association of Shopping Centres. More than 80 percent of the respondents prefer to purchase in malls because their rights are treated with high priority, however, they are not so willing to pay more for this. The majority of the costumers believe that it is beneficial that rules are the same in the stores of a mall and services such as the more than one year warranty, guaranteed 30 days administration, purchasing options or refunding the purchase price.

According to the recent survey of the G Data Antivirus manufacturer up to 2.5 million Hungarians can buy via the Internet for Christmas this year, including more than half a million people who will try out new stores. The company cautions that you should follow the rules of safe online shopping. According to the datas of G Data 720 thousand Hungarian Internet users will definitely order presents from a webstore for this Christmas, but the number of online shoppers may be more than 2.5 million. Although most people will still pay the ordered products when delivery occurs, more than six hundred thousand people will choose to purchase with a card when ordering.

A growing number of Hungarian citizens are turning to the European Consumer Centre (ECC), and the returned amount also increases – Attila Kriesch, the director of ECC told at a press conference in Zalaegerszeg. Attila Kriesch reported that in connection with cross-border shoppings and services a total of 341 consumer complaints arrived to the Consumer Centre in Budapest from Hungarians, who turned to the office in connection with their foreign purchases, as well as from foreigners who are debate with Hungarian firms.  

Before consumers enter into a loan, they need to understand its real cost and take the time to reflect, especially on the monthly repayment. Following a crackdown on websites offering consumer credits, more than 3 out of 4 sites checked a year ago now comply with EU law (compared with only 30% in September 2011). Further improvements should follow as national authorities pursue their actions on outstanding cases. Of the 70% of sites flagged for further investigation at the time, 10% were finally deemed compliant and 35% were corrected after action by national authorities. The remaining websites either no longer exist or are subject to on-going administrative or court proceedings.>>>

London, 5 th Consumers' Energy Forum - The Commission presented yesterday a report to enhance transparency of electricity and gas markets, in order to help consumers strike best possible energy deals. A recent study revealed that less than 50% of EU consumers are aware of how much energy they use or how much they pay per energy unit. If they had a better grasp of their energy consumption and had the necessary information to switch to the cheapest energy tariffs in national markets, they could save a total of 13 billion euro across the EU.

Under the EU Directive on injunctions, public authorities and consumer organisations can go to court and request that a trader ends practices that breach consumer protection rules. The report on the application of that directive published last week by the Commission shows that more than 5000 actions for injunction were lodged since 2008. Most of them aimed against the sectors of telecommunications, banking and investments, tourism and package travels and dealt with unfair contract terms, unfair commercial practices and misleading advertisement.

The report concluded that injunctions are a useful tool for the protection of the collective interests of consumers, although their potential is not always fully exploited due to a number of issues (e.g high financial costs for complaining parties , length and complexity of the pr ocedure in court ...) The Commission, together with Member States, will further assess how best to address these issues.

On October 19, 2012, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD) launched an online portal giving consumers, business and governments quick and easy access to the latest information on products recalled from markets in Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States. Consumers can use this portal to check for product safety alerts, especially when making online purchases from abroad. Businesses can improve tracking of emerging hazards from around the world allowing them to move quickly to address problems, and governments are better positioned to remove unsafe products from the market.

You can find this portal here:

http://globalrecalls.oecd.org/

The member states and the Commission should start implementing the European Consumer Agenda – an upgraded EU consumer policy – says the Council in its resolution adopted on 11 October. The Agenda aims to ensure that consumers have safe products and services, better information and more effective protection of their rights and redress possibilities, especially when buying products in other countries and online.  >>>

The consumer protection inspectors of Budapest and Pest county found a high proportion of irregularities during the summer action controls in the units of the chain of stores: objections were experienced at 69 percent of the units – Imre Pesti, Government Agent of Budapest said on last Wednesday at a press conference in Budapest. The inspectorates have started procceedings against 91 units out of the tested 131 units. Richárd Tarnai, Government Agent of Pest County at the same time reported a drastic decline in serving people under 18 with alcohol and tobacco products since the spring. In the April study, 78 out of 100 units served people under 18 years with alcohol and tobacco products, in summer this ratio decreased to 31 percent.

Consumer safety is one of the highest priorities of the European Commission, especially with the globalisation of supply chains and the constant evolution of the markets. The EU works closely with its main trading partners to ensure safety at source, no matter where the product is produced. This year the Commission is hosting the International Product Safety Week in Brussels from 15 - 19 October 2012. A series of events will gather non-food, consumer product safety professionals and stakeholders from around the globe, representing regulators, industry, consumer organisations, standard-makers and test laboratories.

The Hungarian Authority for Consumer Protection (HACP) and the Association of Public Electronic Trade Association (SzEK.org) signed a cooperative agreement in order to the development of the domestic e-commerce market and for the proper operation of the consumer protection rules – HACP told MTI on Tuesday. The "Buy on the web!" webstore grading system launches on 16 October, on the basis of the cooperation between HACP and SzEK.org. The e-traders who request certification will be given qualification certificate, after the e-traders correspond to the legislative, consumer protection and data protection review approved by the HACP. 

Hunting for cross-border bargains is a way for consumers to get the 'best deal' across the EU's internal market. Shopping online makes these bargains ever more accessible. But sometimes things can go wrong: there might be a problem with the goods or with delivery. To avoid difficult, costly and time-consuming legal procedures, the European Union is facilitating access to justice for consumers in Europe, so that they can effectively enforce their rights. .>>>

With an estimated 60% of women colouring their hair, sales of hair dye products in the EU are rising steadily. The EU Cosmetics Directive aims to ensure that such products contain only safe substances. Therefore, on basis of the latest scientific advancements, the European Commission today adopted a Directive on Hair Dyes that restricts the use of an additional 24 substances in hair dyes. >>>

In the past few years many serious accidents, including fatalities, have been reported in connection with charcoal grills being used indoors.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a dangerous gas given off when burning charcoal. You can't see it, you can't smell it, but it can be fatal when it accumulates in high concentrations, for example if you BBQ inside your home, caravans or tent.

Always use BBQs outdoors and enjoy the BBQ season in safety!

The European Commission will be calling on citizens all over the European Union to help set the policy agenda for the next years and shape the future of Europe in the biggest ever EU public consultation on citizens' rights. The consultation will be open until 9 September, during which time the public will be asked about the obstacles they face in exercising their rights as EU citizens, be it when travelling in Europe, when voting or standing as a candidate in elections or when shopping online. The public concultation comes ahead of the 2013 European Year of Citizens (IP/11/959). The input received from the public will feed directly into the Commission's policy agenda and form the basis for the 2013 EU Citizenship Report, to be presented on 9 May 2013. >>>

From Wednesday the consumer protection authority monitors the catering places of the Sziget Festival, in the previous days they held briefings to the traders – Zsuzsanna Fülöp, the spokesperson of the Hungarian Authority for Consumer Protection (HACP) told MTI on Wednesday. At the site of the festival. 9 catering units were checked since Wednesday morning by the staff of the Consumer Protection Inspectorate of the Municipal Government Office. Minor deficiencies were found in a total of 16 cases, typically in connection with the indication of prices and quantity – added Zsuzsanna Fülöp. (MTI)

The spokesman also told that if the participants of the festival face problems with a consumer protection nature (eg. not receiving receipt, the quantity of the drink is not the same what they asked, or prices, company details are indicated improperly or incompletely) then first they should ask for the complaint book and notify the trader about the irregularity. In case the problem cannot be solved, the Hungarian Authority for Consumer Protection can be found in the civil village of Sziget in its own tent (tent nr. 18.) where the authority’s staff can give information on further remedies and can also answer several other questions relating consumer protection.

A consultation was held over the Hungarian product regulation that will come into force in September with the participation of traders and producers in the Ministry of Rural Development (VM) on last Tuesday. At the meeting, Kardeván Endre, State Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development (VM) responsible for food chain monitoring and agri-management emphasized that the ministry would like to carry out co-operation agreement with the Magyar Termék Nonprofit Kft. in connection with the certification trade mark, in order to the better identification of the Hungarian, doomestic and domestically produced products.

The Commission published today an opinion by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) on fragrance allergens in cosmetic products. The opinion identifies potentially allergenic fragrance ingredients and suggests concentration limits for some of them to protect consumers from allergies. Allergy to fragrance ingredients is estimated to affect 1 to 3% of the European population and can significantly impair quality of life. In 1999, the European Scientific Committee SCCNFP1 identified 26 fragrance allergens. Consequently, measures were introduced in the Cosmetics Directive 76/768/EEC that require manufacturers to list these ingredients individually on the label of cosmetic products containing them, when they are present in the product above certain low concentrations. This allows doctors to diagnose allergies to fragrance ingredients more easily, and patients who know the cause of their allergy are able to avoid cosmetics that will cause reactions. >>>

The new Hungarian Criminal Code prospects severe punishment for those, who market poor quality products or falsely certifies the compliance of the product. In addition those who mislead the consumers have to face with severe criminal sanctions. The new law will enter into force from the 1^st of July 2013 . Those who sales low-quality product as a high-quality product, can face on up to three years of imprisonment, for example.

If you have problems with a scheduled or charter airline (such as flight cancellations or delays), you have specific rights under the EU's Passenger Rights Regulation. If you believe that your consumer rights have not been respected in some other way (for example, your package holiday is not as described by the travel company, or a car rental company has overcharged you for a service which you have not requested), complain to the company first and see if you can resolve the problem by mutual agreement. >>>

Summer is in full swing in the northern hemisphere, and with it, industries such as tourism and consumer products usually enjoy good growth periods. With the warm weather bringing holiday makers in a good mood, the last thing you would want is for your products or services to be responsible for any bad experiences consumers may go through. The latest CONSUMER COMPACT issue brings you, therefore, the latest information on new standards and regulations applicable to a wide range of consumer products, as well as some key features products should incorporate to ensure the safety and comfort of consumers.

Find out what are the main technological features sportswear should incorporate to transform them into hit products and get up to date with the range of new standards applicable to children’s travel and aquatic products. See why you should prepare your electronic devices for global travel and how to best preserve foodstuffs in the summer season.

 Click on the picture below to read the issue

Following OFT enforcement action, 12 airlines have agreed to include debit card surcharges in the headline price rather than surprise consumers at the end of the booking process. Any surcharges for paying by credit card will be easy to find when booking online. Aer Lingus, BMI Baby, Eastern Airways, easyJet, Flybe, German Wings, Jet2, Lufthansa, Ryanair, Thomas Cook, Thomson (TUI) and Wizz Air were subject to an OFT consumer law investigation and have agreed to change their practices. >>>