Tomorrow is World Consumer Rights Day. It has now become a practice that the Consumer Affairs Council organises a yearly conference on this day where an issue, which concerns consumers, is discussed. One of the main characteristics has always been an overseas keynote speaker who would provide the Maltese audience with the experience in other countries.

This time, the Consumer Affairs Council, the International Association of Consumer Law and the Ministry for Competitiveness and Communications will organise this conference with a difference. This conference which will be held over one and a half days will cover a number of issues – consumer credit, sale of goods and unfair commercial practices.

This Conference – Promoting Consumer Interests – will provide a unique opportunity to practising lawyers to discuss with fellow overseas lawyers the above issues. The conference is also of particular interest to bankers and other financial institutions, members of the media, firms and the general public regarding the rights and obligations related to the sale of goods, consumer credit and unfair commercial practices.

It will be held on Thursday and Friday at the Corinthia Marina Hotel. This conference is going to attract a large number of overseas lawyers, mainly from within the EU. This conference is in reality one of the annual meetings of the International Association of Consumer Law.

The conference will be opened by Competitiveness and Communications Minister Censu Galea. The two other opening speeches will be delivered by Carmen Delia, chairperson of the Consumer Affairs Council and Prof. Geraint Howells, Lancaster Law School.

The main speakers dealing with the “sale of goods” will be Dr David Fabri, Gianluca Sepe, Dr Evi Paparseniou, Profe. Elisabetta Bergamini, Renato Gomes, Prof. Klaws Tonner and Dr Margus Kingisepp.

Prof. Udo Reifner, Prof. Arnold S Rosenberg, Prof. Dr Reinhard Steennot, Prof. Dr Peter Rott and Ing. Libor Dupal will speak on the experiences of consumer credit in other countries.

The final session on Friday will deal with unfair commercial practices. The speakers will be Prof. Geraint Howells, Dr Jorge Pegado Liz, Prof. Chris Willett, Dr Annette Nordhausen, Dr Eugene Buttigieg, Dr Rossella Incardona and Dr Jan Bartholl.

Interested parties should contact Sue Ellen Grixti, Office of the Consumer Affairs Council, on either 2123-9892 or 2122-7070.