AmCham Romania criticizes draft law on consumer protection

The draft law on changing the status of the National Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC), which is currently debated in the Parliament, discourages the investors that are interested in Romania and sends a negative message to the market, said Radu Florescu, vicepresident of the American Chamber of Commerce in Romania (AmCham Romania), cited by local Agerpres. In April, the National Liberal Party MP Razvan Mironescu initiated a draft law on the status on ANPC proposing that the institution become an autonomous administrative authority, with legal personality, independent, and governed by a board appointed by Parliament. According to the draft law, ANPC can apply preventive measures and sanctions for violations of consumer rights in various fields, including financial services, utilities and communications, food and non-food retail. Depending on the offense, ANPC can apply fines ranging from 0.5% to 10% of the turnover recorded by the company in the previous year. Florescu says that the draft law lacks transparency, brings over-regulation, and has been promoted without consulting with the business community. editor@romania-insider.com