The Competitiveness and Communications Ministry is compiling a position on an EU green paper on consumer protection, and inviting submissions from the public.

It said the European Commission had recently launched a Green Paper proposing the review of eight directives on consumer protection, covering a wide range of areas including guarantees, distance selling, package travel, timeshare and unfair contract terms.

Some of these directives have been in place for many years and needed to be updated in order to render them relevant to today. They were based on minimum harmonisation, which meant that EU Member States were allowed to adopt stricter rules in their national legislation as long as the minimum level laid down in the directives was respected. As a result different standards applied across the EU, leaving business and consumers unsure as to which standards applied.

The Commission has identified some of the shortcomings of these directives and has published the green paper, with possible solutions which are to be discussed with the Member States.

The Ministry for Competitiveness and Communications said interested persons were being invited to submit their response to questions contained in Annex I of the green paper, by not later than 27 April. Annex I may be found at

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cons_int/safe_shop/acquis/green-paper_cons_acquis_en.pdf

Submissions should be sent to: The Policy Development Directorate, Ministry for Competitiveness and Communications, Casa Leone, St Joseph High Road, Santa Venera, tel:2388 6153 or by e-mail to [email protected]

Feedback received, the ministry said, would be taken into consideration in drafting Malta’s reply on the green paper. However, Malta’s position would not necessarily reflect the position of each individual submission. Interested persons were entitled to send a copy of their reply directly to the Commission.