IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UNFAIR COMMERCIAL PRACTICES DIRECTIVE 2005/29/EC IN CROATIAN CONSUMER PROTECTION LAW

Comparing the new Consumer Protection Law with the Law previously in force, issues concerning the consumer protection in the Republic of Croatia have been better dealt with under the newly enacted provisions. There We re certain legal areas without regulation under the 2003 Consumer Protection Law. Consequently, a need to legally regulate them emerged in last couple of years. The new Law responded to such needs. Moreover, the Law is an additional mean to harmonize domestic law with the EU acquis communautaire. In the long run this would bring consumer's level of protection in Croatia closer to standards of consumer protection in the EU member states. A special attention has been given to the area of unfair commercial practices within the new legal provisions on domestic consumer protection, which regulate traders' actions causing damage to consumer interests and which have been used before, during and after concluding a juridical act regarding a specific product. Manifestations of such practice are analyzed in details, especially a misleading and aggressive commercial practice and, in this context, a comparative advertising. To grasp an insight into entire consumer right protection mechanisms the consumers are directed to use modes of legal protection given by the law against unfair consumer practices, in particular the administrative measures and to use procedures applied by the mediation bodies.