“Establishing the sectorial reconciliation commissions at CPC will help resolving the disputes between customers and traders out of court”. The Deputy Minister of economy Daniela Vezieva announced at the opening of round table on the topic “New reconciliation commissions – a mechanism for resolving disputes between customers and traders”, organized by the newspapers “24 chassa” and “Trud” together with the Customers Protection Commission /CPC/.
“One of the main priorities of the Ministry of economy is to increase the level of customers’ protection. In order to meet the up-to-date conditions and requirement in the Regulation of European Commission, we have prepared a package of regulative documents in the previous year and a part of them concerns amendment of the Customers protection Act precisely in the section for alternative disputes and the rules for work of reconciliation commissions at CPC “, Vezieva said.
“By this legislative framework we hope to considerably increase the level of customers protection on one side, and on the other side – to present a possibility for fast, efficient, simplified and cost effective methods for resolving disputes between customers and traders with participation of all stakeholders “, the Deputy Minister of economy also said. According to her, the main goal of the sectorial reconciliation commissions at CPC is to bring together to one place the state authorities, operators, customers, as well as their associations and the associations of traders.
She pointed out that the Sectorial reconciliation commissions and the procedures created are mainly in the sectors and services of energy industry, water and sewerage services, electronic and postal services, transport and financial sector.. “The participation of business operators in these reconciliation commissions is a mark that we provide the best expertise in the process of resolving such disputes, The main task is to activate the customers and traders so that they may find on the basis of mutual compromise, permanent solutions for disputes arising from different services.“, Vezieva definitely declared.
The Deputy Minister Vezieva also announced that through the commissions disputes would be resolved concerning the cross-border online services which is a part of the new EC service, namely, the electronic platform for resolving disputes which will start in February, this year, and where anybody may seek for assistance in resolving disputes free of charge through the electronic portal.
“We will continue even more actively with the information campaigns done by the CPC, as well as the joint work with the associations for customer protection and with everybody who want to participate in communication of problems concerning the resolving of disputes in alternative manner, out of court“, the Deputy Minister concluded.
The participants in the round table were also the Chairman of the Customers Protection Commission, Dimitar Margaritov, the CPC members Konstantin Arabadjiev and Konstantin Raykov, Zecho Stankov – Deputy Minister of economy, the ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria Maya Manolova, representatives of the specialized regulative and supervising bodies, as well as the representatives of sectorial organisations..