The Enhancing Consumer Protection through Strengthening Competition Policy

The Enhancing Consumer Protection through Strengthening Competition Policy project commenced on December 1, 2024, and will run until September 2025. The project is implemented under the EU Resource Center for Civil Society in Serbia program, conducted by the Belgrade Open School with the support of the European Union, represented by the EU Delegation to Serbia.

The project’s general aim is to empower active citizen and civil society participation in the inclusive and transparent development of public policies in the fields of consumer rights and competition policy, in alignment with Serbia’s EU accession process. The first specific objective focuses on engaging citizens and civil society in the processes of creating and advocating for ongoing regulatory reforms in the areas of consumer rights and competition policy, while the second specific objective relates to involving citizens and civil society in the implementation and monitoring of key reforms in these areas.

The project aims to enhance the legal and institutional framework for consumer protection and competition policy while raising public awareness of the importance of these topics for a functional and fair market. The focus will be on identifying key challenges in practice, providing concrete recommendations for improvement, and empowering relevant actors through education and collaboration.

The project seeks to achieve its goals through the following activities:

1. Developing a methodology and conducting citizen consultations.
2. Conducting research and preparing documents with concrete public policy proposals.
3. Public advocacy targeting policymakers and decision-makers.
4. Collecting proposals, suggestions, and comments from citizens through an innovative online platform.
5. Conducting consumer rights training for citizens and civil society representatives.
6. Organizing three thematic discussions for citizens and key stakeholders.
7. Launching a media campaign through print and online media.

Beyond its primary objectives, the project is expected to have a significant impact by disseminating project results. Concrete proposals for normative and strategic solutions in the fields of consumer protection and competition policy will be developed based on citizen and civil society feedback. Public advocacy by relevant stakeholders may further drive reform processes in these two areas.

Contact Person: Stefan Radojčić, Project Coordinator, stefan.radojcic@cep.org.rs