The Georgian Parliament Tuesday adopted the consumer rights protection law in the third reading of the bill which passed by 79 votes. The law provides the main principles that will be governing consumer protection, the extent of regulation, and applicable terms. It also outlines the basic rights and duties of buyers and sellers. The law will also govern the warranties that come with consumer contracts.

The law provides for certain exceptional situations, that may exempt an individual from liability, warranty terms, and the consequences of violating service responsibilities. The Act includes institutional safeguards for the protection of consumer rights and rules prohibiting unfair commercial practices that jeopardizes the values of trust and good faith.

The Georgian National Competition Agency has been entrusted with the responsibility for the enforcement of the law. The law outlines the agency’s authority, procedures, and deadlines.

Maka Botchorishvili, Member of Georgian Parliament and EU Integration Committee Chair had said earlier, during the first reading of the bill that:

The Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union stipulates commitments, which include the regulation of consumer policy at the legislative level. Accordingly, the draft law combines 6 EU directives and 1 regulation. The introduction of European standards for consumer protection is important for the country’s EU integration process. In addition, the adoption of the law is related to the allocation of funding for the National Competition Agency within the framework of Twinning assistance.

Nino lobashvili, Deputy Chair of the EU Integration Committee, in his statement said:

This is a very important component of the commitments under the Georgia-EU Association Agreement. The adoption of the law is extremely important in the process of harmonization of our legislation with the EU legal framework, and it will definitely be considered a great progress.

The European Union and Georgia signed the Association Agreement in June 2014, which included a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, liberalizing trade in both goods and services between the EU and Georgia. The agreement deepened the country’s political and economic ties with the EU in the Eastern Partnership framework, which was launched in 2009 and united six Eastern European countries, including Georgia.