Head of the working group, Governor of Kurgan Region Alexei Kokorin briefed the meeting on the process of drafting the working group’s report and on working group members’ proposals on a wide range of issues concerning consumer rights protection.
The participants discussed the draft report presented by the drafting group chaired by Head of Rospotrebnadzor [national consumer protection agency] Anna Popova. The document analyses the main stages in the development of Russia’s legislation in this area and assesses the current state of the national consumer rights protection system at the federal, regional, and municipal levels.
The draft report highlights current needs for improving consumer rights in particular areas, such as the financial services market, online commerce, and combating counterfeit goods.
One section of the report concerns teaching consumers how to go about protecting their rights correctly, and protecting the rights of socially vulnerable population groups such as children, people with disabilities, and the elderly. The report reviews the activity of public consumer associations and the practice of dispute resolution in and outside courts, and it singles out the role civil society plays in protecting consumer rights.
The amendments and proposals made in the course of the discussion will be taken into account in the final draft and in setting the main directions for developing the consumer rights protection system in order to raise the quality of life in Russia.