site.btaParliament Approves Amendments to Consumer Protection Act Expanding Collective Consumer Rights

On Wednesday, Parliament approved at second reading amendments to the Consumer Protection Act, submitted by the Council of Ministers. Some of the changes significantly expand the scope of representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers, covering new areas such as data protection, financial services, travel and tourism, energy, telecommunications, passenger rights, provision of services, general product safety, among others.

The range of qualified organizations entitled to bring representative actions for legal remedies is also expanded. Under the adopted texts, representative claims for legal remedies may now be brought not only by consumer associations, as previously, but also by the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) and qualified organizations designated by EU Member States to file cross-border representative actions.

Parliament also decided that the CPC will coordinate the activities of market surveillance authorities regarding product safety under EU Regulation 2023/988. The CPC serves as Bulgaria’s single national contact point in the rapid alert system for sharing information on corrective measures for hazardous products. Market surveillance authorities must submit notifications to the Safety Gate rapid alert system regarding corrective measures taken by them or economic operators, as well as any updates, modifications, or withdrawals of these measures.

Authorities may require economic operators to provide relevant documents, technical specifications, data, or information concerning product compliance and technical characteristics under EU Regulation 2023/988, including access to embedded software where necessary, to assess conformity with applicable EU legislation. They may also request information on the supply chain, distribution network, market quantities, and other relevant data.