New Technical Committee on Consumer Policy established.

The Technical Committee on Consumer Policy (AZSTAND/TC 53) has been established by the Azerbaijan Standardization Institute (AZSTAND) at the initiative of the State Agency for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Committee has been established to ensure more effective protection of consumer rights, align the quality and safety of products and services and the information provided to consumers with international standards, and strengthen cooperation between public authorities and civil society organisations in this field.

Representatives of the relevant state authorities, as well as civil society organisations representing consumer rights and the retail sector, participated in the Technical Committee’s inaugural meeting. Three draft national standards concerning the provision of information to consumers, the development of service standards and the consideration of consumer needs in packaging were discussed during the meeting.

It was emphasised that the proposed standards would contribute to ensuring that consumers receive accurate information, improving service quality, promoting the safe packaging of products and developing consumer protection in Azerbaijan in accordance with international requirements.

Following the discussions, it was decided that the draft standards would be refined in the light of the Committee members’ comments and proposals and subsequently submitted for approval.