📋 Tender Overview
The issues of overcoming the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for protecting the rights and health of consumers became the topic of the regional dialogue between the Eurasian Economic Commission and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD. This is the first joint conference devoted to such problems.The participants in the regional dialogue outlined new areas for further cooperation within the framework of interaction between the EEC and UNCTAD including the development of common approaches to protecting consumer rights in e-commerce protecting vulnerable consumer groups and ensuring product safety.EEC Minister for Technical Regulation Viktor Nazarenko stressed that during the pandemic the world faced a global crisis that affected not only individual markets and individual sectors of the economy but also society and every family. The task of preserving the health of citizens supporting their social well-being as consumers is directly related to the situation in the economy and is of paramount importance for the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union and our trade and economic partners he said.The scale and similarity of the problems faced by the countries in the context of the pandemic predetermined the need for coordinated actions of countries to overcome the negative consequences of the pandemic including at the global level.Natalya Zhukova Director of the Department of Sanitary Phytosanitary and Veterinary Measures of the EEC spoke about the results of monitoring the situation related to the protection of consumer rights in the EAEU countries during the crisis period. In a pandemic consumers are most vulnerable in areas such as e-commerce drug sales financial services culture and entertainment she said.Natalia Zhukova recalled that the issues of consumer protection for the EAEU countries were included in the Strategic Directions for the Development of Eurasian Economic Integration until 2025. Important decisions to improve the situation of citizens in the Union have already been taken and are being implemented. Among them - the Commissions recommendations which identified the common approaches of countries for consumer protection in electronic commerce. On their basis significant changes have been made to the national legislation of the countries of the Union.In addition approaches to the protection of vulnerable consumers such as children the elderly and the disabled have been identified. Mechanisms for interaction between state bodies of the Union countries have been developed to take joint measures to protect consumer rights and the procedure for the exchange of information between the EAEU countries and the Commission in this area has been determined. A single information portal Consumer Rights Protection in the EAEU was launched which became a navigator for consumers helping to understand the problem situation.Teresa Moreira Head of the UNCTAD Consumer and Competition Sector highlighted the importance of consumer protection for economic development and the importance of the Commissions work with UNCTAD.The event was attended by more than 200 participants from 50 countries of the world including the Eurasian Economic Union the EAEU observer states the Commonwealth of Independent States as well as international organizations - the CIS Executive Committee and the World Health Organization.
