Union 21st Century Holds Conference on Consumer Rights

On March 14, 2005 the non-governmental organization Union 21st Century arranged a conference on consumer rights at the Tbilisi Marriott Hotel.

NGO Union 21st Century with the support of Eurasia Foundation has implemented a one-year project aimed at monitoring consumer market as well as inspecting market conditions and production quality.

“The results of the inspection have proved rather severe, and we have come to a conclusion that we should discuss this issue with the governmental structures,” stated Shalva Mikeladze, the Project Coordinator of the Union 21st Century.

Shalva Mikeladze also stated, that there is no specific body in Georgia responsible for protection of consumer rights. Today these functions are split among the “Sakstandarti”, Antimonopoly Service and Sanitary Inspection.

According to Mikeladze, the legislative base needs to be developed in this regard and the law on liquidation of spoiled goods must be adopted as well. This is a serious problem, since currently the governmental bodies cannot legally liquidate these goods.

Lack of public awareness regarding protection of consumer rights impedes the punishment of merchants who sell sub-standard goods.

Noteworthy, that not a single trial has led to a guilty verdict regarding this issue, as most cases end with a deal between the two sides.