The Ministry of Trade and Services stated today that it set aside RSD 7 million in 2011 for strengthening the capacity and role of consumer associations.

With these funds, which are intended for regional counselling centres for funding projects of assistance to consumers, the European standards for protection of consumer rights will be provided in Serbia.

The Ministry allocated RSD 4 million in incentives to consumer associations for establishment and functioning of advisory centres for consumer protection throughout Serbia.

The deadline for making a rule book on registration of consumer associations and unions authorised for collective activity is six months from the date of entry into force of the new Law on consumer protection, which is April 2011, reads the statement.

The condition for registration of associations for consumer protection is that they are free of commercial interests, politics, that they have professional staff and are focused on the consumer protection activity.

The Ministry of Trade and Services conducts an active policy of consumer protection by EU standards. As a result, four regional advisory centres of the Department for Consumer Protection started working in autumn last year and these are centres in Belgrade, the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Sumadija and Western Serbia, and Eastern and Southern Serbia, it is added in the statement.