On July 29, at the initiative of the Competition Protection Committee, a discussion was held

On July 29, at the initiative of the Competition Protection Committee, a discussion was held during which new legislative norms protecting consumer interests were presented, relating to unfair commercial practices and the use of misleading advertising methods. The discussion was attended by representatives of economic entities, public organizations, officials from the Ministry of Economy and committee members, as well as Gohar Parsadanyan, a member of the Board of the Association of Accountants of Armenia.
According to a committee member, the new regulations coming into effect from August 1 are based on the requirements of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and aim to create effective mechanisms for protecting consumer rights in the Republic of Armenia.
Committee specialists provided detailed demonstrations of new definitions of unfair commercial practices and principles for regulating adhesion contracts.
According to the new legislation, unfair commercial practices may be implemented through misleading or aggressive methods. Examples of misleading practices include creating false crisis situations, where consumers are informed that products will be available for a short time only, and otherwise they will lose the opportunity to make purchases at favorable prices, or providing false information about the cessation or relocation of an economic entity's activities in order to announce obviously unfounded discounts.
Manifestations of aggressive behavior are considered to include making individual visits to consumers' residences without obtaining their prior consent, as well as continuous and unsolicited distribution of product offers through telecommunications, electronic communications, or other means of communication, except in cases of fulfilling contractual obligations.
During the discussion, Gohar Parsadanyan, a member of the Association's Board, raised a question about what rules are envisaged for price presentation in the case of services provided and work performed.
In response to the question, it was noted that there is no strict rule; the economic entity must organize in a way that is convenient for them, so that the price or the logic of price calculation is clear to the consumer.
The active participation of the Association of Accountants of Armenia in such discussions is of pivotal importance for expressing the professional community's perspective and representing the interests of the Association's members. The Association aims to ensure that new legislative changes are practical and implementable, while simultaneously contributing to both consumer rights protection and sustainable growth in the business sector.