A delegation from Portugal's consumer protection authority, the Direção-Geral do Consumidor (DGC), visited Warsaw today at the invitation of UOKiK.

During the meeting, the scope of competence of both institutions was presented, as well as the consumer protection systems in both countries. DGC’s and UOKiK’s experts also discussed current topics in the field of consumer protection of interest to both bodies, including, among others, the functioning of the system of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and consumer complaint management. DGC experts shared information on the "Livro de Reclamações" website, through which consumers can file complaints, as well as Portugal's "contract resolution platform".

Product safety and the functioning of the national contact points of the EU's RAPEX-Safety Gate system (Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products) were also addressed.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to raise the topic of the UOKiK’s future presidency of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), which will begin on July 1 of this year, and to exchange experiences in this regard with the DGC, which held this role from July 2021 to the end of June 2022.

In Portugal, the Directorate General for Consumers is the public body within the Ministry of the Economy and Maritime Affairs whose mission is to define and implement consumer protection policy with the aim of achieving a high level of consumer protection.