Cross-border Qualified Entities

Informing, educating and counseling Croatian consumers; making an influence with a goal of achieving higher level of awareness of the importance and improvement of consumer protection in areas related to personal daily life and the services consumers use, in the areas of protection of different social and age categories, health protection, preservation of nature and the environment, sustainable development and in the areas of business and relationships; achieving social justice and respecting human rights and the dignity of the human person and family; networking with Croatian and international associations and organizations for consumer protection; actively participating in the creation and implementation of public policies and consumer protection laws of the Republic of Croatia as one of the priority policies of the European Union; promoting, protecting and representing the interests of consumer protection associations at the institutions of the Republic of Croatia and local and regional (area) self-government bodies; promoting volunteerism and organizing volunteer work in the Company; encouraging participatory democracies of consumers in decision-making.

Provision of preventive protection through consumer information and counseling; protection of consumer rights of users of credit and financial services and products; protection of consumers of loans with a currency clause and a variable interest rate contracted with credit institutions in the Republic of Croatia; improvement of legal and sub-legal regulations governing the business of providers and consumers of financial services and products for the purpose of protecting the economic rights of consumers; establishment of relations between providers and consumers of financial services and products that are harmonized with the positive legal regulations of the Republic of Croatia and the acquis of the EU; encouraging the development and improvement of the work of existing and new supervisory bodies responsible for consumer protection of users of financial services and products for the purpose of protecting the economic rights of consumers; encouraging networking and synergistic action of various organizational forms whose goals are consumer protection of users of financial services and products; development and encouragement of new models of providing financial services and products based on ethical principles.

Provision of preventive protection by means of informing and advising consumers of Međimurje County about their rights and obligations; providing assistance to the injured consumer in dealing with the trader; giving comments and suggestions when adopting regulations related to the area of ​​consumer protection; performing other tasks in the field of consumer protection.

The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Croatia  is the ministry in charge of the, among others:

-development of the economy,

-development of programs for the sustainable development based on the principle of a green and circular economy with the aim of transforming into a just and prosperous society with a resource-efficient and competitive economy, ensuring climate neutrality, preservation and sustainable use of natural resources

- development of industry,

- energy, trade, small and medium businesses, crafts

- consumer protection

- public procurement

- coordination and development of national policy in the field of standardization, accreditation, conformity assessment,  market competition, strategic goods stocks.

​The Ministry of Agriculture performs administrative and other tasks in the fields of agriculture, fisheries, forestry, rural development, management and disposal of agricultural land owned by the state, agricultural policy, organization of the market for agricultural products, market and structural support in agriculture, food and tobacco industry, and veterinary medicine.

Regarding food industry, the Ministry performs administrative and other tasks related to health, hygiene, quality and labeling of food and animal feed, prevention of food waste, establishment and implementation of quality systems for agricultural and food products and organization of official controls.

Ministry of Tourism and Sport performs administrative and other tasks related to, among others:

- the tourism policy of the Republic of Croatia, the Strategy for the Development of Croatian Tourism; development and investments in tourism; development of health, continental, nautical, congress, adventure, cultural, youth and other selective forms of tourism; improvement and development of small and medium-sized enterprises in tourism and catering; strategic support for improving and raising the quality of all forms of accommodation in tourism, support for investors and the promotion of sustainable tourism development, rehabilitation programs related to the restructuring of hotel and catering companies, monitoring and participation in the privatization process, development of digital tourism, development of tourism infrastructure, competitiveness of the tourism economy, support for the development of the education system in tourism through competence centers and the promotion of professions and education in tourism, encouraging innovation and creativity in tourism through support for the establishment of think tanks and business incubators in tourism, promoting the interests of Croatian tourism in the country and abroad; supervision of the system of tourist boards; tourism and hospitality statistics, development of sports,  proposing and implementing regulations on the organization and operation of sports, of sports clubs, associations and federations, financing of sports programs and sports development programs.

The Ministry of Finance is accountable for the preparation and implementation of the Government's fiscal policy. Its goals are to contribute to stable economic growth and to the increase in prosperity, in quality of life and in employment for all Croatian citizens.

 

The Ministry of Finance performs administrative and other tasks related to, among others:

budget consolidation, making drafts of the system of financing public needs and local and regional self-government units;

state budget execution;

budget supervision;

development of the budget accounting and financial reporting systems;

management of the State Treasury;

production of analyses and monitoring of economic movements in the field of financial system, making propositions and implementing measures for the enhancement of the credit institutions and deposit insurance system, of the insurance system, of the system of capital market, investment funds and investor protection, payment system and system of supervision over financial institutions, supervision of financial institutions according to legislative powers;

tax system and tax policy, customs system and policy of customs and non-customs protection, organizing games of chance and prize-winning games;

undertaking measures for the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing; construction and maintenance of border crossings. 

The Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure performs administrative and other tasks related to: internal and international maritime, nautical, road, rail, combined and air transport; cable cars and transport on internal waters with the infrastructure of these types of transport; planning, preparation and implementation of strategic documents and transport infrastructure projects, proposes a strategy for the development of all types of transport; protection of the sea from pollution from ships; seaports, maritime property and determination of maritime property boundaries, maritime insurance and maritime agencies; ports on inland waterways; land freight transport centers; airports; means of transport, except for those jobs that fall within the scope of work of other ministries and legal entities with public powers, electronic communications (telecommunications and radio communications) and postal services; inspection tasks: safety of navigation at sea, internal and international road traffic and roads, except for tasks from the scope of the Ministry of the Interior, safety of railway traffic, safety of cable cars, safety of navigation on inland waters.

The Agency's activities include the following tasks: 

-performing all tasks related to the granting of concessions for state lines

-giving prior consent to decisions of county assemblies, municipal councils and city councils councils on county, inter-county and local lines,

- determining the seasonal and off-season navigation period,

- consolidation of sailing schedules,

- supervises the implementation of the provisions of the Law, and the concession contract, in relation to support and payment fees for concessions for state lines,

- proposes to the Government of the Republic of Croatia measures for the improvement and development of the public coastal liner maritime traffic,

- other tasks entrusted to the Agency by law.

The agency can at the request of the county, municipal or city council, with a fee, on the basis contract to also perform certain tasks from point 1 of this article for county, inter-county and local lines.

The Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries is the national regulatory authority for carrying out regulatory and other tasks within the scope and competences prescribed by the Electronic Communications Act, the Postal Services Act and the Act on Regulation of the Rail Services Market and the Protection of the Rights of Rail Passengers.
The Agency is an independent, autonomous and non-profit legal entity with public authority.

The main purpose of the Association is to offer an organizational structure to all citizens of the Republic of Cyprus in their capacity as citizens-consumers without any kind of discrimination of sex, race, language, nationality, religion, political beliefs, etc. for their protection and assistance by any legal means and the protection and promotion of their right to a comfortable and healthy life in a healthy and sustainable developing environment, as well as other rights and well-understood agreements as they stem from Cypriot legislation, the European Acquis, International Law and their internationally recognized and guaranteed special rights as part of the International Consumer Movement.

Our mission, inter alia, is to safeguard the consumers’ rights and educate and represent the Cyprus consumers in all local and international relevant bodies dealing with consumer matters.

Toward this end we are

Monitoring the effective implementation of the legislation and regulations regarding consumer protection and consumer rights
Providing information on Cyprus law regarding consumer protection in accordance with the acquis communautaire
Providing information on consumers rights and responsibilities
Promote consumer education through its Adults Consumers Education Programme
Handling complaints by consumers on faulty, damaged or unsatisfactory quality of products and services
Providing a reading library on consumer publications such as WHICH (UK), Consumer Reports (USA), Consumer Choice (Ireland)
Issuing publications, such as ‘O Katanalotis‘, the association’s quarterly magazine, which is sent to its members free of charge, and other informative brochures
Providing Consumer-related services, lectures etc.
Conducting comparative market surveys aimed at providing vital information and insight to the consumers

The purpose of the qualified entity is to carry out activities of general benefit, in particular the protection of consumer interests and the development and cultivation of a clean business and competitive environment tolerant of consumer interests. Activities in the field of consumer protection will focus specifically on:

- Promoting consumer rights and representing consumer interests;

- Advice, consultation and information activities in the field of consumer protection;

- Consumer protection education;

- Publishing and disseminating information on consumer rights;

- Support and protection of particularly vulnerable consumers, such as children, the elderly or physically or mentally disabled persons;

- Consumer protection in relation to the environment;

- Promoting the development and cultivation of the market and market relations.

The qualified entity provides the following public benefit services focused on consumer education and human rights: (a) Publishing a magazine aimed at informing about consumer rights, including the publication of information on the quality and benefits of products and services, (b) Publishing and disseminating information on consumer rights, (c) Advisory, consultancy, and information activities in the field of consumer protection, (d) Promotion of consumer rights and representation of consumer interests.

The Danish Consumer Council is a consumer organisation. The organisation is independent of public authorities, business and political parties. The purpose is to promote the public ny safeguarding consumers' interests through an active consumer policy. 

The Consumer Ombudsman is an independt authority that supervises that companies comply with the Marketing Act and other consumer protection legislation, especially from the point of view of consumers.

According to the Marketing Act, the main task of the Consumer Ombudsman is to ensure due observance of the law, specifically in the area of consumer rights.

The remit of the Danish Medicines Agency is to authorise the marketing of pharmaceuticals that are proven to be effective and safe, to help ensure that public health insurance expenditure in connection with medical treatment is proportionate to the expected medical results, to oversee the pharmaceutical sector and the sector for manufacture of pharmaceutical equipment.

The Danish Medicines Agency authorises and inspects pharmaceutical companies and licenses medicinal products in the Danish market, monitors adverse reactions from medicinal products, authorises clinical trials, decides which medicines are eligible for reimbursement, monitors medical, devices available in Denmark and supervises adverse incidents involving medical devices, appoints proprietary pharmacists, organises the pharmacy structure and supervises pharmacies and retailers.

The Consumers’ Union of Finland is a non-governmental and the only general consumer organisation in Finland safeguarding the interests of consumers, patients and clients of social services and health care. Its aims are to promote consumer and patient awareness and encourage them to further their interests nationwide through an active local consumer association network. Business as usual duties cover both national and international policy work, consumer education, and legal advice for consumers and patients. The organisation gives special attention to sustainable consumption and environmental protection.

Kilpailu- ja kuluttajavirasto on olemassa kilpailu- ja kuluttajapolitiikan toteuttamista, markkinoiden toimivuuden varmistamista, kilpailulain ja EU:n kilpailusääntöjen täytäntöönpanoa, hankintalain sekä vesi- ja energiahuollon, liikenteen ja postipalvelujen alalla toimivien yksiköiden hankinnoista ja käyttöoikeussopimuksista annetun lain (erityisalojen hankintalaki) noudattamisen valvontaa sekä kuluttajan taloudellisen ja oikeudellisen aseman turvaamista varten.

Kilpailu- ja kuluttajavirastossa on kuluttaja-asiamies.

The purpose of the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority is to implement competition and consumer policy, ensure the good functioning of the market, enforce competition law and EU competition rules, monitor compliance with the Procurement Act and the Act on procurements and concession contracts of entities operating in the water and energy supply, transport and postal services sectors (Special Sector Procurement Act), as well as to safeguard the financial and legal position of the consumer.

The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority has a Consumer Ombudsman.

Kuluttaja-asiamiehenä toimii Kilpailu- ja kuluttajaviraston (KKV) kuluttaja-asioiden vastuualueen ylijohtaja.

Kuluttaja-asiamiehen tehtävänä on turvata kuluttajien asemaa ja valvoa kuluttajansuojalain ja useiden muiden kuluttajan suojaksi säädettyjen lakien noudattamista. Keskeisiä tehtäviä ovat elinkeinonharjoittajien markkinoinnin, sopimusehtojen ja perinnän lainmukaisuuden valvominen, kun kyse on kuluttajiin suunnatusta toiminnasta. Tavoitteena on, että yritys lopettaa lainvastaisen menettelynsä.

The Director of the Consumer Division of the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority serves as the Consumer Ombudsman.

The Consumer Ombudsman’s primary duty is to safeguard the position of consumers and supervise compliance with the Consumer Protection Act and other laws on consumer protection. Key tasks include supervising the lawfulness of the marketing activities, contractual terms and payment collection of traders in business operations aimed at consumers. The aim is to stop businesses from engaging in unlawful practices.

Finanssivalvonnan toiminnan tavoitteena on finanssimarkkinoiden vakauden edellyttämä luotto-, vakuutus- ja eläkelaitosten ja muiden valvottaviksi säädettyjen vakaa toiminta, vakuutettujen etujen turvaaminen sekä yleinen luottamus finanssimarkkinoiden toimintaan.

Finanssivalvonta toimii Suomen Pankin yhteydessä.

The objective of the Financial Supervisory Authority’s activities is to enable balanced operations of credit institutions, insurance and pension companies and other supervised entities in stable financial markets. Their objective is also to protect the rights of the insured and foster public confidence in financial market operations.

The Financial Supervisory Authority operates in connection with the Bank of Finland.

Liikenne- ja viestintävirasto on liikenne- ja viestintäministeriön hallinnonalalla toimiva keskushallinnon virasto, joka hoitaa liikenteen ja sähköisen viestinnän viranomaistehtäviä.

The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) is a central administrative agency operating in the administrative sector of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. It performs official functions relating to transport and electronic communications.

Fimea valvoo lääkkeitä, lääkinnällisiä laitteita, veri- ja kudostuotteita, biopankkeja sekä kehittää lääkealaa. Viraston tehtäväkokonaisuuksiin kuuluvat lääkealan lupa- ja valvontatehtävät, tutkimus- ja kehittämistehtävät sekä lääketiedon tuottaminen ja välittäminen lääkehuollon ja lääkehoitojen vaikuttavuuden parantamiseksi.

Fimea regulates medicinal products, medical devices, blood and tissue products and biobanks and develops the pharmaceuticals sector. The Agency’s tasks include licensing and supervision in the pharmaceuticals sector, research and development as well as the production and dissemination of medicine information in order to improve the effectiveness of medicine supply and medicinal treatments.

Sosiaali- ja terveysalan lupa- ja valvontavirasto on sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön alainen keskusvirasto, joka edistää ohjauksen ja valvonnan keinoin oikeusturvan toteutumista ja palvelujen laatua sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollossa sekä elinympäristön ja väestön terveysriskien hallintaa.

The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) operates in the administrative sector of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. It promotes legal protection and the quality of services in social welfare and health care as well as the management of health risks in the environment and population by means of guidelines and supervision.

Tietosuojavaltuutettu on suomalainen viranomainen, joka valvoo tietosuojalainsäädännön ja muiden henkilötietojen käsittelyä koskevan lainsäädännön noudattamista.

The Data Protection Ombudsman is a national supervisory authority which supervises compliance with data protection legislation and other legislation on the processing of personal data.

Established under the Act on the Right of Association, whose objective specified in the statutes is the protection of consumer interests.

The Association has a non-profit aim and promotes public awareness in the areas of freedom, democracy and consumer protection in the digital sphere with a focus on consumer rights, the fundamental rights to privacy and self-determination, data protection, freedom of expression, freedom of information, human rights and the fundamental right to an effective remedy. The Association also aims to promote relevant adult education (popular education), research and science.

The aims of the ICCL are to:

• defend and promote civil liberties and human rights of both individuals and groups;
• defend and promote women's rights as human rights;
• defend and promote international standards for human rights and civil liberties in Ireland;
• inform public opinion on matters impacting on civil liberties and human rights;
• monitor the situation of human rights and civil liberties in Ireland;
• carry out research on issues impacting on human rights and civil liberties;
• influence decision-making in areas relating to civil liberties and human rights;
• develop links with other national and international organisations working in the sphere of human rights and civil liberties;
• take any steps incidental to the achievement of these aims.

CODICI - Center for Citizen Rights - is a consumer and user association whose statutory purpose is to assist and protect all citizens who encounter issues with the private business sector and public administration.
The Association promotes safety, legality, justice, health in all its aspects, quality of products and services, adequate information and accurate advertising, fairness and transparency in commercial and contractual relations in general, education on consumption and money management, prevention of over-indebtedness, and the fight against usury. It advocates for the provision of public services that meet quality and efficiency standards, as well as the rational use of land and natural resources.
CODICI’s activities are implemented through its territorial branches, service desks, and the dedication of volunteers who work daily to monitor and protect the rights of citizen consumers and users.

The Association's sole purpose is to protect the rights and interests of citizens, consumers and users. The Association, in particular, promotes and ensures the protection, on the level of information - preventive, contractual and judicial - compensation, of fundamental rights: of an economic and patrimonial nature, such as the right to fairness, transparency, free competition and equity in the establishment and performance of contractual relationships concerning goods and services, also through collective protection instruments (so-called class actions), to the essential services provided by the Public administration as basic rights of the citizen; of an informational-informative nature, such as the right to adequate information and correct advertising, as well as the right to the promotion and development of free, voluntary and democratic associations among consumers and users; the protection of rights of a general social nature, such as the right to the protection of health, the healthiness of the environment and sources of supply, the safety and quality of products and services, the total quality of food products and their traceability and traceability, the provision of public services according to standards of quality, transparency, fairness, impartiality and efficiency, also with reference to the obligations deriving from anti-corruption and transparency legislation, performance and models of conduct, with particular regard to the health service, the postal service, sports activities, the public function of supervision and control of credit, insurance, the securities market, the pharmaceutical and health service, transport, telecommunications and services, the control of activities all having effects on the terrestrial environment (sky, sea, land, subsoil-soil-aboveground and overlying spaces), in urban planning and building matters and, in general, the right to free, safe and constitutionally protected associated life of man in the places of the various aggregations in which it is articulated.

Protection of the rights and legitimate interests of Latvian consumers, as well as promotion of their observance in various sectors of the economy and society as a whole, including providing support and assistance in solving consumer problems.

The organization carries out various information dissemination and training projects, participates in national legislative and strategic planning initiatives, carries out research, informs the media and the public about the most important consumer protection issues, and takes action to address them.

Lithuanian Consumers Alliance was appointed as a cross-border qualified entity.

The State Consumer Rights Protection Office has been appointed as a qualified entity for cross-border and domestic actions.

The association aims to promote the interests of and provide information to investors, mainly in Europe, and to promote adequate governance according to national and international standards ofissuers of securities, all in the broadest sense of the word. The association shall attempt to achieve its objective by, among other things: 

a. exercising the rights - including the exercise of meeting and voting rights - to securities held by the association and to securities held by other persons, provided that the association has been authorized to do so;

b. providing information and conducting legal proceedings, instituting collective actions as referred to in Article 305a paragraph 1 of Book 3 of the Dutch Civil Code or a statutory provision replacing it or a foreign provision on the basis of which actions can be instituted in a collective interest,

c. reaching settlements, including agreements as referred to in Article 900 of Book 7 of the Dutch Civil Code and filing petitions as referred to in Article 1013 of the Dutch Code of Civil Procedure or foreign arrangements that may form the basis for collective agreements to be concluded abroad;

d. disseminating knowledge of management and investment of funds; 

e. maintaining contacts with relevant policymakers, government agencies, supervisors, and financial institutions, stock exchanges, companies, and universities; 

f. representing the interests of non-members by entering into contractual relationships with, among others, institutional investors; and  

g. publishing and distributing publications, whether or not via its website;

The Foundation aims, as an independent and non-profit organization, to protect the interests of Affected Parties, being groups of individuals, companies, and/or legal entities in the Netherlands and/or abroad, who have been or are at risk of being affected in a similar interest within the meaning of the EU Representative Actions Directive (EU 2020/1828), and thereby have one or more claims against any third party(ies) related to Mass Damages suffered or to be suffered by these individuals, companies, and/or legal entities.

Promoting the interests of natural persons, in particular of consumers and minors, who use online services that breach the rights of those natural persons at any moment, which includes but is not limited to infringements of fundamental rights, such as the right not to be discriminated and the right to protection of privacy and protection of personal data, as well as infringements of consumer rights and laws and regulations intended to protect minors.

The purpose of Ius Omnibus is to defend consumers in the European Union, in particular with a view to increasing consumer welfare and, in general, promoting the rule of law, the environment and the economy of the European Union. In pursuit of its aims, the association is empowered to perform all legal acts necessary for this purpose, including:
• Cooperate with the authorities of the Member States and the European Union whose competences directly or indirectly affect the interests and rights of consumers;
• Intervene, under the terms of the applicable laws, as an interested third party in administrative or judicial proceedings affecting the interests and rights of consumers;
• Promote the active participation of consumers in the promotion and defense of the association's aims;
• To the extent permitted by applicable laws, exercising the rights deriving from social partner status in matters concerning consumer policies, including representing consumers in public consultation and audit processes;
• To the extent permitted by the applicable laws, exercise the right to participate in the processes of regulating the prices of the supply of goods and services of general interest and request clarification on the tariffs charged and the quality of services;
• Reaching out-of-court settlements with persons who have violated consumer rights, with a view to ensuring compliance with the law and/or compensating consumers for damages suffered as a result of a violation of their individual and collective rights and/or interests;
• Promote and bring legal actions, or resort to alternative means of dispute resolution, to defend the collective and individual rights and interests of consumers in the European Union, to the extent permitted by the applicable laws, namely by resorting to "opt-in" or "opt-out" representative actions (including "popular action") or any other procedural means of defending diffuse rights and interests, collective or individual homogeneous rights and interests, the aim of which may be, among other things, to obtain a declaration of the existence of rights and obligations, the imposition of behavior and/or compensation for damages suffered by consumers as a result of a violation of their rights or interests.

The purpose of DECO is to defend the rights and legitimate interests of consumers, and to this end it can carry out all the activities appropriate to that end, including:
• Carrying out comparative analyses of the quality and prices of products and services on the market;
• Creating consumer consultation services;
• Informing members and the general public about its activities, and may promote the editing of publications, directly or through organizations or companies in which it participates;
• To develop professional training in the area of consumer affairs and transversal areas;
• To promote training and legal culture in the field of consumer law;
• To defend, promote and represent the collective and individual interests of consumers by all legal and judicial means at its disposal;
• To represent consumers individually in alternative dispute mechanisms;
• Promote the creation of support, information and out-of-court settlement services for consumer disputes;
• To promote the creation of support, information and negotiation mechanisms for situations of over-indebtedness.

Protection of rights and legitimate interests of consumer.

Protection of rights and legitimate interests of consumers.

Ochrana práv spotrebiteľov a ich oprávnených záujmov, a to napríklad rozvíjaním výchovno-vzdelávacích činností a informačnú činnosti pre spotrebiteľov, prispievaním k informovanosti spotrebiteľov, poskytovaním odborných konzultácií v rámci spotrebiteľského poradenstva, uskutočňovanie publikačnej a vydavateľskej činnosti vo veciach spotrebiteľských práv a ich ochrany, sprostredkovanie riešenia sporov medzi spotrebiteľmi a predávajúcimi a zastupovanie ich pred súdom, zúčastňovaním sa na tvorbe všeobecne-záväzných právnych predpisov vo veciach ochrany spotrebiteľa, podávaním podnetov orgánom štátnej správy, samosprávy a obciam v súvislosti s plnením ich úloh vo veciach ochrany spotrebiteľa. 

Protecting consumers’ rights and legitimate interests (for example, through the development of educational and information activities for consumers), helping to raise consumer awareness, providing specialist consultation as part of a consumer advisory service, publishing material relating to consumers’ rights and the protection thereof, mediating in the resolution of disputes between consumers and traders and representing consumers in court, helping to frame generally applicable legislation relating to consumer protection, and submitting suggestions to government departments and to local, regional and municipal authorities in connection with the performance of their consumer-protection tasks. 

Slovene Consumers Association is an independent, non-profit, internationally recognized non-governmental organization. They represent the interests of consumers and advocate for an environment that respects and protects consumer rights. They strive for consumer-friendly legislation. They encourage good consumer choices, test products, test and evaluate services, advise and assist in cases of consumer concerns.

The Swedish Consumer Agency is a government authority responsible for consumer interests. The Consumer Ombudsman may bring a cross-border and domestic representative action for a redress measure.