Clipping of news on Brazilian Culture, Law and Citizenship
03/14/2014
This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.
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The President of the Portuguese Association of Consumer Law ( APDC ) , Mário Frota , spoke about the International Day of Consumer Consumer Rights , which will be celebrated on 15th.
Common themes also Brazilian consumers , the need to expand consumer education , improving public services and consumer debt were discussed in an interview with the Journal i ( www.ionline.pt ) .
I NEWSPAPER : With the crisis consumer rights have been put in second place ?
Mario Frota : . Indeed , there has been between us , a genuine disregard for the " Consumer Bill of Rights " . And so is this attitude , the weakness of the measures and the effectiveness of the protection of rights in concrete.
The attitude of the state towards any one consumer policy is something staggering , since not even mentioned in the Government Programme ( originality censoring ) and resulted immediately in uncertainties , later superseded , as to guardianship : came late and the bad times in Secretary Deputy and Regional Development , now, much later, with the extinction of the folder to the Secretary of Tourism and , later, came to rest on the Deputy Secretary of Economy . When other governments have been in the hands of a minister within the Presidency of the Council of Ministers .
In terms of local government , consumer policy is invariably the " weakest link " , whether the neglect that we are witnessing , in general , the result of an insensitivity " that hurts " , or abandonment ( with honorable exceptions , of course . .. ) a consequent intervention for consumers , with the " disinvestment " in the structures and agreements established sacrificed under the pretext of economic difficulties , abandoned to their fate , therefore, the negative consequences arising therefrom .
The " Collateral Fund " , for example , should be employed in strengthening the decadent " consumer movement " has been diverted from their goals with the allocation of resources embodied in it to entities that have nothing to do with the authentic bare bones , autonomous and genuine operating in the segment of consumer ... there seems to be exactly the purpose of condemning to the gallows structures that are dedicated to these goals , distracting ways to alleviate " associations " others "who have nothing to do with the kiosk " , pass the word .
And this seems to escape those responsible , despite our continued and perhaps impertinent warnings .
Ji : Believes that there is still much to do in this matter ?
MF : First, issues such as promotion of interests , namely, the consumer education (to be introduced in schools once ... ) as the consumer information ( the strengthening of municipal and intermunicipal structures and the resource public service broadcasting audio and audio visual ) are absolutely ignored . Then , because there are laws that have fewer ( condensing them , compiling them , coding them ... ) , but better laws ( simple, " Decoded " , accessible ) , structures of central and local administration most gifted and able to serve the consumer in the first place , regulatory authorities most active ( least constrained in its " shell " ) and a better grid of alternative means of dispute resolution for consumer disputes ( congruently serving the country as a whole ) .
Ji : What the industry needs more changes at this time ?
MF : We lack urgently for specific interventions in the framework of essential public services ( water, energy , electronic communications and its extension to public transport , health , safety ) , where the abuses are manifest , in the activity of credit institutions and financial companies blatantly trample consumers (see what happens now with the bank fees that soared exponentially , it takes a crushing halt decisive and courageous way ... ), insurance , contracts with blatantly unfair terms , prices and speculation , safety of products and services in more than can be observed daily .
Ji : There should be an intervention by the Government in this regard?
MF : The government has the " baton " in your hands and can not excuse himself to intervene either in the reorganization of the legislative system ( creation of a Code of Consumer Contracts - with a book dedicated in particular to the Essential Public Services - in one Criminal Code of consumption , of a Code of Agro -Food , a Code of Procedure Collective ... ) , both in definition and constitution of Municipal Services consumption and Municipal Councils , or with a rearrangement of the alternative means for both management of complaints and dispute resolution (mediation and self - composition, justices of the peace courts and arbitration of consumer disputes , these , scarce , though not properly harnessed ... ) .
There is a mare magnum of problems we face ... Force is that it has consciousness , and floods of mind to face and solve !
Source : Procon SP
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This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.