• March 15 is celebrated as the World Consumer Day.
• Digitisation of our everyday lives and protection of the rights of e-consumers - these were the leading topics of the congress co-organized by UOKiK to celebrate the occasion.
• The congress provided also the opportunity to award presidential Crosses of Merit and present the results of the Amicus Consumentium competition.

How does the situation of consumers change in a world undergoing continuous digitisation? Can e-commerce self-regulate itself? How should we protect our data? What are the threats faced in the world of digital finance? These are just some of the topics discussed during the 2018 Consumer Congress that began on 14 March at Warsaw’s PGE Narodowy Stadium. The slogan of this year’s edition of the event is: “Who creates a digital consumer?”

Who creates a digital consumer?

The 2-day congress is organized to underline the importance of the World Consumer Day celebrated on March 15. It was exactly on that day in 1962 when the US president,
John F. Kennedy, formulated four basic consumer rights: the right to be informed, the right to choose, the right to safety and the right to be heard. The congress is organized by the following: the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, the Senate’s Consumer Protection Team and the Consumer Federation. Honorary patronage over the event has been assumed by deputy Prime Minister Beata Szydło.

“Issues related to telemarketing, e-commerce or digital finance are just some of the challenges that consumer ombudsmen are facing on an everyday basis. They offer many different forms of assistance. Sometimes a piece of advice will do, but in some cases court battles may be necessary. It is worth highlighting, however, that while disputing with an entrepreneur, consumers lose much more than just money. They lose their faith in the state that is supposed to protect their security. Luckily, you are the ones restoring that faith” - these are the words with which Beata Szydło, deputy Prime Minister and chairwoman of the Social Committee of the Council of Ministers addressed consumer ombudsmen in a special letter sent to the 2018 Consumer Congress.

“We are meeting here at the beautiful and modern National Stadium. Just as this place - which was one a venue for unregistered transactions - has become civilized, we are willing to civilize the relations between entrepreneurs and consumers, to make sure that the latter are provided with better protection in a rapidly changing world” ― said Marek Niechciał, President of UOKiK, in his opening address.

The participants of the congress are considering the challenges faced by institutions tasked with protecting consumers’ interests in the era of the Internet and advanced technologies. Panel discussions and workshops are devoted, inter alia, to: protection of personal data, online stores, new financial and telecommunications services and out-of-out dispute resolution procedures.

Decorations and distinctions

Two ceremonies have been held during the event. During the first one, the presidential Bronze Cross of Merit was awarded to consumer organization activists who are contributing greatly to ensuring better protection of Polish consumers. The following have been awarded with the Bronze Cross of Merit:

• Kamil Pluskwa-Dąbrowski ― President of the Consumer Federation since 2011.
  A lawyer specializing in consumer, telecommunications and energy-related legislation, an arbiter of the Consumer Arbitration Court affiliated with the President of the Office of Electronic Communications. He takes part in public consultations of legal acts concerned with consumers.
• Grażyna Rokicka ― President of the Association of Polish Consumers since 1995. Has contributed greatly to the establishment of the institution of Consumer Ombudsman and to the launch of a free consumer hotline. A member of the European Consumer Consultative Group (ECCG) and of the General Assembly of the European Consumer Organization (BEUC).

The World Consumer Day provides also the opportunity to award consumer-friendly entrepreneurs. UOKiK and the Senate’s Consumer Protection Team have awarded, for the second time now, the title of Amicus Consumentium to those entrepreneurs who were promoting, in 2017, the idea of amicable resolution of consumer disputes. The title has been awarded to 3 companies:

• CCC ― a chain of footwear stores with its headquarters based in Polkowice,
• POLO Bogusław Szczepiński ― stores offering clothing, accessories and sports footwear, headquartered in Koszalin,
• Powszechna Spółdzielnia Spożywców “Społem” from Katowice.

The winning companies were selected by the municipal consumer ombudsman in Koszalin, and by six Voivodeship Trade Inspectorates. The entrepreneurs were granted the right to use the title of “Amicus Consumentium 2017 for promoting the idea of amicable solution of consumer disputes”. The next edition of the competition will be organized in 2019.

Additional information for the media:

UOKiK Press Office 
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