PROBLEMS OF CONSUMER PROTECTION IN UKRAINE IN THE CONDITIONS OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION PROCESSES

Abstract

The article proves that Ukraine’s integration into the European Union is accompanied by a number of problems related to the implementation of European standards to ensure effective consumer protection. It is substantiated that the insufficient level of informing citizens by state institutions about their rights in cooperation with trade, services and works leads to an increase in the number of complaints as well as violation of consumer rights. It has been proven that consumer protection is a mean of achieving key economic results by economic entities, which requires solving urgent problems in this area, further development and improvement. The main factors influencing the level of consumer protection in Ukraine are considered. Attention is focused on the opinions of various scholars on the issues related to the harmonization of Ukrainian legislation on consumer protection with EU Directives in this context. The expediency of classification of consumer rights into general and special as a means to ensure effective European integration processes, improvement of Ukrainian legislation on consumer protection is substantiated. Emphasis was placed on the expediency of adopting a new version of the Law of Ukraine "On Consumer Protection", aimed at introducing European standards of consumer protection in Ukraine, creating a level playing field for e-commerce and fair competition. The inconsistency of the concept of "unfair business practices" in Ukrainian legislation with the concept of "unfair commercial practices" under Directive 2005/29 / EU, which complicates the harmonization of domestic legislation with the legal system of the European Union was determined. It is proposed to bring the list of examples of deceptive and aggressive practices regulated by the Law of Ukraine "On Consumer Protection" in line with the list contained in Annex 1 to Directive № 2005/29 / EU.