A Basic Outline of Slovenian Consumer Protection with an Emphasis on Alternative Dispute Resolution
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15678/ZNUEK.2017.0968.0801Keywords:
consumer protection, out-of-court dispute resolution, European Union, SloveniaAbstract
Consumer protection today represents a modern segment of human rights, which in recent years has carved out a wider role in national, European and international law. The objective of this paper is to show the fundamental principles of consumer protection in the Republic of Slovenia, where intensive consumer protection began to take root after the country gained its independence in 1991. In the subsequent 25 years, numerous legal acts have been adopted and documents introduced which either in whole or in part address the protection of consumer rights. The foremost and most basic legal act is the Consumer Protection Act, which has been repeatedly amended and supplemented, with the intention that Slovenian legislation should follow and be harmonised (mainly) with European and international trends in consumer protection. The last important step was taken with the adoption of Out-of-Court Resolution of the Consumer Disputes Act, which entered into force on 14 November 2015. This Act has transposed in the Slovenian legal system Directive 2013/11/EU on alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes
Downloads
References
Council Directive 93/13/EEC of 5 April 1993 on unfair terms in consumer contracts, OJ L 95, 21.04.1993.
Creutzfeld N. (2016), Implementation of the Consumer ADR Directive, “Journal of European Consumer and Market Law”, no 1.
Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market, OJ L 149, 11.06.2005.
Directive 2006/114/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 concerning misleading and comparative advertising, OJ L 376, 27.12.2006.
Directive 2011/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2011 on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare, OJ L 88, 4.04.2011.
Directive 2013/11/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013 on alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes and amending Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 and Directive 2009/22/EC (Directive 2013(11/EU), OJ L 165, 18.06.2013.
Directive 98/6/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 1998 on consumer protection in the indication of the prices of products offered to consumers, OJ L 80, 18.03.1998.
Energetski zakon [Energy Act], Uradni list RS, No. 17/14, 81/15.
Evropski potrošniški center Slovenije (2016), Poročilo o delu Evropskega potrošniškega centra za leto 2015 [Work report of the centre for the year 2015], http://epc.si/media/EPC_letno_porocilo_2016_210x210_SI.pdf (accessed: 5.07.2016).
Grgurić N. (2014), Direktiva i Uredba Evropskog parlamenta i Vijeća Europske unije o alternativnom i online načinu rješavanja potrošačkih sporova [Directive and Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the alternative and online consumer dispute resolution] (in:) Zbornik radova: Dani hrvatskog osiguranja 2014 [Conference proceedings: Croatian Insurance Days], Hrvatska gospodarska komora, Zagreb.
Hodges C., Creutzfeldt N. (2013), Implementing the EU Consumer ADR Directive, https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxlaw/implementing_the_adr_directive.pdf (accessed: 5.07.2016).
Knez R. (2016), Pravo in politika sodobnega vartsva potrošnikov [Law and the contemporary consumer protection policy], “Pravna praksa”, vol. 5.
Market Inspectorate of Republic of Slovenia, Business Report for 2015, http://www.ti.gov.si/fileadmin/ti.gov.si/pageuploads/dokumenti/TirsPoslovnoPorocilo2015.pdf (accessed: 8.08.2016).
Ministarstvo gospodarstva (2015), Prijedlog Zakona o alternativnom rješavanju potrošačkih sporova, s konačnim prijedlogom zakona [Draft law on the alternative dispute resolution of the consumer disputes with final text].
Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (2013), Biennial Report (Article 21 of Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004) of 13 March 2013, http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/enforcement/cross-border_enforcement_cooperation/docs/cpc_biennial_2013_sl_en.pdf (accessed: 15.08.2016).
Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (2016), http://www.mgrt.gov.si/si/delovna_podrocja/notranji_trg/sektor_za_varstvo_potrosnikov_in_konkurence/ (accessed: 15.08.2016).
MIPOR (2016), Yearly Report for 2015, https://www.zps.si/index.php/o-nas/mednarodni-intitut-za-potronike-raziskave/7843-letni-porocilo-o-delovanju-mednarodnega-instituta-za-potrosniske-raziskave (accessed: 9.08.2016).
Možina D. (2015), Kriza slovenskega prava varstva potrošnikov [The crisis of the Slovenian consumer protection law] (in:) A. Vlahek, M. Damjan (eds), Pravo in politika sodobnega varstva potrošnikov [Law and the contemporary consumer protection policy], GV Založba, Ljubljana.
Obligacijski zakonik [Obligations Code], Uradni list of RS, No. 97/07 UPB1.
Osredkar F. (2001), Pravice slovenskih potrošnikov v praksi [Rights of Slovene consumers in praxis], diploma thesis, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana.
Pernek F. (1981), Vsebinska preobrazba odnosov med blagovnim prometom in proizvodnjo [Content transformation of goods-to-production relations], “Naše gospodarstvo”, no 3.
Pogorelčnik Vogrinc N. (2015), Implementacija Direktive 2013/11/EU o alternativnem reševanju potrošniških sporov v slovenski pravni red [The implementation of the Directive 2013/11/EU on alternative dispute resolution of consumer disputes in Slovenian legal order] (in:) A. Vlahek, M. Damjan (eds), Pravo in politika sodobnega varstva potrošnikov [Law and the contemporary consumer protection policy], GV Založba, Ljubljana.
Pravilnik o načinu vpisa in pogojih za vpis potrošniških organizacij v register [Rules on the procedure and requirements for entry of consumer organisations into the register], Uradni list RS, No. 8/12.
Primorac Ž., Miletić N. (2016), Europski pravni kontekst izvansudskog rješavanja sporova iz ugovora o obaveznom osiguranju od autoodgovornosti s posebnim osvrtom na osigurateljnu praksu [European regulatory framework of Out-of‑court Dispute Resolution arising from the compulsory motor vehicle third party liability insurance contract with a focus on insurance practices], “Zbornik PFZ”, vol. 66, no 2–3.
Regulation (EU) No 524/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013 on online dispute resolution for consumer disputes and amending Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 and Directive 2009/22/EC, OJ L 165, 18.06.2013.
Republika Slovenija – Ministrstvo za gospodarski razvoj in tehnologijo (2015), Predlog Zakona o izvensodnem reševanju potrošniških sporov – redni postopek – predlog za obravnavo [Draft law on the out-of-court resolution of consumer disputes – regular procedure – reading proposal], http://www.mgrt.gov.si/fileadmin/mgrt.gov.si/pageuploads/DNT/varstvo_potrosnikov_in_konkurence/ZIRPS/ZIRPS_VG_MU1.pdf (accessed: 3.07.2016).
The Slovene Consumers Association, Yearly Report for 2015, https://www.zps.si/index.php/o-nas/zveza-potronikov-slovenije/7844-letno-porocilo-o-delovanju-zveze-potrosnikov-slovenije (9.08.2016).
Tonner K., Berlin C. (2014), Zur Umsetzung der AS-Richtlinie (Richtlinie 2013/11/EU) – nebst Entwurf eines Gesetzes über alternative Streitbeilegung. Gutachten erstattet im Auftrag des Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverbandes e.V., Rostock.
Trstenjak, Knez & Možina (2005), Evropsko pravo varstva potrošnikov: direktive ES/EU z uvodnimi pojasnili [European consumer protection law], GV Založba, Ljubljana.
Uredba o organih v sestavi ministrstev [Decree on bodies affiliated to ministries], Uradni list RS, No. 58/03, 45/04, 86/04, 138/04, 52/05, 82/05, 17/06, 76/06, 132/06, 41/07, 69/10, 40/11).
Uredba o trgovanju, trgovskih podjetjih in trgovinah [Regulation on trading, trading companies and shops], Uradni list SFRJ, No. 37/55.
Ustava Republike Slovenije [Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia], Uradni list RS, No. 33/91-I; 42/97– UZS68; 66/00 – UZ80; 24/03 – UZ3a, 47, 68; 69/04 – UZ14; 69/04 – UZ43; 69/04 – UZ50; 68/06 – UZ121, 140, 143; 47/13 – UZ148; 47/13 – UZ90, 97, 99.
Zakon o alternativnem reševanju sodnih sporov [Act on Alternative Dispute Resolution in Judicial Matters], Uradni list RS, No. 97/09, 40/12.
Zakon o arbitraži [Arbitration Act], Uradni list RS, No. 45/08.
Zakon o delovnih razmerjih [Employment Relationships Act], Uradni list RS, No. 21/13 – ZDR-1.
Zakon o izvensodnem reševanju potrošniških sporov [Out-of-court Resolution of Consumer Disputes Act], Uradni list RS, No. 81/15.
Zakon o kontroli kakovosti kmetijskih in živilskih proizvodov v zunanjetrgovinskem prometu [Act Regulating Quality Control of Agricultural and Food Products in Foreign Trade], Uradni list SFRJ, No. 28/75, 70/78, 54/86, 30/91.
Zakon o mediaciji v civilnih in gospodarskih zadevah [Mediation in Civil and Commercial Matters Act], Uradni list RS, No. 56/08.
Zakon o obligacijskih razmerjih [Obligations Act], Uradni list SFRJ, No. 29/78, 39/85, 45/89, 57/89, Uradni list RS, No. 88/99 – ZRTVS-B, 83/01 – OZ, 30/02 – ZPlaP and 87/02 – SPZ.
Zakon o pacientovih pravicah [Patients Rights Act], Uradni list RS, No. 15/08.
Zakon o potrošniških kreditih [Consumer Credit Act], Uradni list RS, No. 77/04 UPB1.
Zakon o spremembah zakona o varstvu potrošnikov [Act Amending the Consumer Protection Act], Uradni list RS, No. 78/11.
Zakon o standardizaciji [Standardisation Act], Uradni list RS, No. 1/95, 59/99.
Zakon o trgovini [Trade Act], Uradni list RS, No. 18/93.
Zakon o trgu finančnih instrumentov [Financial Instruments Market Act], Uradni list RS, No. 108/10 UPB1.
Zakon o tržni inšpekciji [Market Inspection Act], Uradni list RS, No. 20/97.
Zakon o varstvu potrošnikov pred nepoštenimi poslovnimi praksami [Consumer Protection against Unfair Commercial Practices Act], Uradni list RS, No. 53/07.
Zakon o varstvu potrošnikov [Consumer Protection Act], Uradni list RS, No. 98/04 – UPB2, 114/06 – ZUE, 126/07, 86/09, 78/11, 38/14, 19/15.
Zakon o zavarovalništvu [Insurance Act], Uradni list RS, No. 99/10 UPB1.
Zveza potrošnikov Slovenije, Yearly Report for 2015, https://www.zps.si/index.php/o-nas/zveza-potronikov-slovenije/7844-letno-porocilo-o-delovanju-zveze-potrosnikov-slovenije (accessed: 8.08.2016).
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2018 Cracow Review of Economics and Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
