On December 1, the Assembly No. 102 of the Federal Consumer Council (Cofedec) will be held in Paraná, organized by the General Directorate of Consumer Defense and Commercial Loyalty of Entre Ríos.
Officials of the National Secretariat of Commerce, of the Undersecretary of Actions for the Defense of Consumers and of the National Directorate of Consumer Defense and Consumer Arbitration, as well as directors of Consumer Defense from all over the country, They will participate in the assembly to deepen and coordinate policies and actions related to consumer rights and commerce.
The Federal Consumer Council is a body for coordinating policies related to issues related to consumers. It is made up of representatives of the National Government, the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and all the provinces. In each of the Assembly, projects are debated and policies related to consumer issues are coordinated, where the national authority and the provincial authorities share experiences and develop policies together in order to defend and strengthen the rights of consumers.
The province of Entre Ríos, in addition to being a member of Cofedec, is part of the Agency’s body of Advisors on issues related to Consumer Education, by democratic election of all the member provinces.
In the last two assemblies that took place in Rosario, Santa Fe and Resistencia, Chaco, key issues will be addressed such as: competence of the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic in relation to financial consumption relations; direct damage and savings plans: National Insurance Superintendency; setting of general administrative procedures; sales through social networks; prepaid medicine: pre-existing, disability cases; competencies in aeronautical issues: referral to the National Civil Aviation Administration; banking problems: bank account blocking and abusive debt refinancing; credit card: summary challenge for charges revoked in a timely manner; among others.
The following are functions of the Federal Consumer Council:
a) Promote consumer or user education with the objectives of:
I) Strengthen freedom of choice and optimize rationality in the consumption of goods and services,
II) facilitate the understanding and use of the information provided to users and consumers by providers,
III) disseminate knowledge of the duties and rights of consumers and users and the most appropriate way to exercise them and,
IV) promote the prevention of risks that may arise from the consumption of products or the use of services.
b) Promote the homogenization of criteria regarding the application of public policies related to consumption, including proposals for modification and/or harmonization of current regulations on consumer protection.
c) Exchange information with the productive sectors in order to promote greater efficiency in the production and marketing of goods for consumption.
d) Promote the installation of public consumer or user information offices that fulfill at least the following functions:
I) disseminate the results of studies, comparative analyses, tests and quality controls on products and services and,
II) manage the reception, registration and acknowledgment of receipt of complaints and claims from consumers or users and their referral to the corresponding entities or agencies.
e) Stimulate the creation of consumer associations, maintaining a permanent exchange and collaboration with them and keeping updated national and provincial records of existing ones.
f) Collect information from public and private entities related to consumer protection.
g) Request the collaboration of the control entities and organisms with competence in the matter for a better attention to the problems of consumers and users.
h) Request the collaboration of public and private institutions, specialized departments of universities and any other technical body to carry out studies, comparative analyses, tests and quality controls on products or services and disseminate their results.
i) Propose to the competent authorities the granting of scholarships for the personnel affected by the departments, for the purpose of their permanent training in the matter of consumer protection.
j) Promote the exchange of information and collaboration to carry out actions aimed at consumer protection with international public and private consumer defense organizations.
k) Provide advice to the National Congress and the Provincial Legislatures regarding problematic consumer legislation.
l) Strengthen institutional relations with other official bodies with competence in consumption or regulatory bodies for public services.
Source: Entre Ríos News
For more information contact:
Gustavo Papeschi | Partner of Beccar Varela | gpapeschi@beccarvarela.com
