Innovations in the law " On Consumer Rights Protection – - for the benefit of the people

On June 25, the Interdepartmental Council on Consumer Rights Protection was held under the chairmanship of Vice-Minister of Trade and Integration Yerzhan Kazanbayev. The event was attended by heads of ministries and departments, deputies of the Mazhilis, representatives of NCE "Atameken", public associations of consumers.

At the meeting of the Council, issues of modernization of the consumer rights protection system were discussed. The report was made by the Chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Consumer Rights Askar Tynysbekov, who noted that the number of complaints of the population about the poor quality of goods and services is growing every year.

The Committee pursues a purposeful policy, defending the interests of citizens. In 2020, the 1st package of amendments to the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Consumer Rights Protection"was adopted. Thanks to the changes, a 3-step complaint review mechanism was introduced (the seller and / or subjects of pre – trial settlement – state bodies-the court), the institute of pre-trial settlement of consumer disputes was legally established, the Interdepartmental Council for Consumer Rights Protection under the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan was created.

The head of the Committee also said that the development of the 2nd package of amendments to the Law began in 2021. The draft Concept is aimed at eliminating legal gaps, unclear norms that have different interpretations in law enforcement practice. In particular, it is proposed to extend the basic principles of the Law to all spheres of services, while preserving the sectoral regulation and the competence of the relevant state bodies. There is a section on strengthening consumer protection in electronic commerce and much more.

The Council discussed the issue of creating the National Association of Consumers of Kazakhstan.

"Consolidation of public organizations into one association will allow reformatting the institution of associations on the principle of "from quantity to quality". Askar Tynysbekov explained. – "This will ensure equal opportunities for all NGOs, including those located in rural areas, and will form a fair civil society. The development of narrowly specialized areas in the activities of NGOs in the fields of trade, finance, medicine, tourism, etc. will begin.The state's participation in the resolution of consumer disputes is minimized, " the head of the department stressed.

In conclusion, he added that the institution of the Ombudsman for Consumer Protection will be able to strengthen public associations and their consolidation. Its main activity will be related to the representative functions of the organization, appealing on behalf of civil society at any venues. The institution of the Ombudsman will allow protecting consumers not only from violations of their rights and abuses by business entities, but also to stop the inaction of state bodies when considering consumer appeals.

The adoption of the bill is planned for 2022.