Consumer information and education
One of the main objectives of the EU Consumer Policy Strategy is consumer access to information and education. Consumers are mostly educated and informed through non-governmental consumer organizations (NGOs) as well as through the network called European consumer centers. In Slovak Republic we have about 30 active NGOs and the European consumer center in Bratislava has been transitionally established at the Ministry of Economy of the SR.
NGOs can be financed by the government from the state budget through the Ministry of Economy of the SR. As well as, NGOs can be self-financed through its activities and various projects of the EU.
Support to NGOs flows also in a form of educating representatives of these organizations. Last education of NGO´s representatives has been realized thanks to Phare project, which has been finished at the end of last year. The representatives of „consumer right protectors“ have taken lots of seminars and trainings. NGOs as well as all the consumers across the Slovakia have their representative in the European Consultative Consumer Group within the European Commission. Her name is Mrs. Božena Stašenková from the Association of Consumer Subjects of Slovakia, Stará Ľubovňa. The deputy position belongs to Dr. Peter Petrík from the Association of apartment users, Banská Bystrica.
Rights of these non-governmental organizations are established by the Act on Consumer Protection (No. 634/1992 Coll. as amended). NGOs have the right to represent consumers at the Court or they can solve disputes between consumers and business subjects as well. They have right to cooperate with state bodies on Consumer Policy creation or evaluation.
As there is a Consumer Policy Committee established at the Ministry of Economy of the SR, representatives of NGOs are members of it. Committee is established to solve and discuss actual Consumer Protection issues with representatives of state bodies and NSO.
Here is the list of actual NGOs in Slovak Republic, which are in close communication with our ministry:
1) Fórum spotrebiteľov, Bratislava
2) Spotrebiteľský klub Košice, Košice
3) Regionálne združenie spotrebiteľov Regionspot, Nové Zámky
4) Slobodné občianske združenie na ochranu spotrebiteľov, východoslov. Región, Košice
5) Klub združenia spotrebiteľov regiónu Zvolen, Zvolen
6) Klub ochrany spotrebiteľa Ružinov, Bratislava
7) Združenie občianskej sebaobrany, Bratislava
8) Asociácia spotrebiteľských subjektov Slovenska, Stará Ľubovňa
9) Informačné centrum ochrany spotrebiteľa, Košice
10) Ochrana spotrebiteľa Oravy, Dolný Kubín
11) Miestny klub ochrany spotrebiteľa v Petržalke, Bratislava
12) Spotrebiteľské centrum generácie 2000, Nové Zámky
13) Združenie na ochranu práv spotrebiteľov, Nitra
14) Združenie na ochranu práv spotrebiteľov v Poprade, Poprad
15) Združenie bratislavských spotrebiteľov, Bratislava
16) Združenie na ochranu práv spotrebiteľov v Prešove, Prešov
17) Združenie na ochranu práv spotrebiteľov Martin, Sklabinský Podzámok
18) Združenie na ochranu práv spotrebiteľov Krompachy, Krompachy
19) Asociácia spotrebiteľov Slovenska, Bratislava
20) Stabil Slovakia, Hlohovec
21) Infospot. Informačné a spotrebiteľské centrum, Bratislava
22) Združenie slovenských spotrebiteľov, Bratislava
23) Združenie užívateľov bytov SR, Trebišov
24) Asociácia užívateľov bytov, Banská Bystrica
25) Vzdelávacie a informačné centrum pre rozvoj bývania, Bratislava
26) Energetické centrum Bratislava, Bratislava
27) Združenie občanov na ochranu práv a oprávnených záujmov spotrebiteľov Slovenska, Brezno
28) Spotrebiteľská informačná agentúra, Žilina
