On 15 and 16 October, representatives of the Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency (GCCA) held information and education meetings at four public schools in the municipalities of Khashuri and Borjomi, namely Khashuri Public Schools N3 and N6 and Borjomi Public Schools N3 and N6. The meetings were organised by the Agency’s Training Research Centre.
The sessions on competition were delivered by Lana Gelashvili, Chief Specialist of the GCCA Legal Department, and on consumer rights protection by Nana Khukhunaishvili, Leading Specialist of the Agency’s Consumer Rights Protection Department.
The presenters underlined the role of effective competition in delivering quality products and services, stimulating innovation and ensuring fair prices for consumers, and presented illustrative examples of infringements of competition law, including price fixing and abuse of a dominant position.
On consumer rights, the meetings covered the obligations of traders and the rules applicable to distance and online sales, in particular the right to withdraw from a purchase and return goods within 14 days without giving a reason, as well as the conditions of commercial guarantees.
Representatives of the Agency also introduced pupils to the work of the GCCA and to the online tools designed to help consumers protect their rights and make informed choices. Particular attention was devoted to the Agency’s educational web portal, the Online Dictionary of Competition, and to the price comparison platform “Electronic Basket”, including their functions and practical use.
Information and education meetings in schools are one of the areas of cooperation under the Memorandum of Understanding between the GCCA and the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia, which aims to raise young people’s awareness of competition and consumer rights protection and to improve access to relevant knowledge. Meetings will also be held in the following regions: Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Shida Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti.
