Consumer protection law – Cyprus Human Resource Authority

We are in the pleasant position to announce that the lawyer of our office, Christiana Markou has been approved by the Cyprus Human Resource Authority as a distinguished expert in the area of consumer protection law. As a result, seminars and training offered by Christiana Markou to employees of law firms, businesses, organizations, ΝGOs and others will be subsidised by the Cyprus Human Resource Authority if offered through approved infrastructures.

Consumer protection law regulates a wide range of issues related to e-commerce, compliance with websites and shops, bank contracts such as loans, defective products, commercial practices and business advertising, air transport such as cancellations or flight delays, package travel and timeshare real estate leases, distance marketing of financial services, alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes, etc. In particular, consumer protection law includes the following laws:

1. Law for General Safety of Products of 2004 (L. 41(I)/2004) as amended by L. 85(I)/2009, L. 22(I)/2010
2. Law for Defective Products (Civil Liability) of 1995 (L. 105(I)/1995) as amended by L. 94(I)/1999, L. 113(I)/2000, L. 45(I)/2002
3. Law on certain aspects of the sale of consumer goods and associated guarantees of 2000 (L. 7(Ι)/2000) as amended by L. 90(I)/2007
4. Law on unfair terms in consumer contracts of 1996 (L. 93(I)/1996) as amended by L. 69(I)/1999, L. 95(I)/2007, L. 136(Ι)/2014, L. 49(I)/2016
5. Law on consumer rights of 2013 (L. 133(Ι)/2013) as amended by L. 187(I)/2017
6. Law on off-premises consumer contracts of 2000 (L.13(I)/2000)
7. Law concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices of 2007 (L. 103(Ι)/2007)
8. Law on package travel and linked travel arrangements of 2017 (L.186(I)/2017)
9. Law 156(Ι)/2004 and 97(Ι)/2007- Laws on certain legal aspects of information society services, in particular electronic commerce and on relative issues of 2004 and 2007 (Comprehensive Law)
10. Law concerning the distance marketing of consumer financial services of 2004 (L.242(I)/2004) as amended by L. 94(I)/2007, L. 127(I)/2009, L. 29(Ι)/2018
11. Law on the protection of consumers in respect of certain aspects of timeshare, long-term holiday product, resale and exchange contracts of 2011 (L. 34(I)/2011)
12. Law on credit agreements for consumers of 2010 (L.106(I)/2010) as amended by L. 176(I)/2012, L. 40(Ι)/2013, L. 50(I)/2013, L. 42(Ι)/2017
13. Law on credit agreements for consumers relating to residential immovable property of 2001 (L.39(I)/2001) as amended by L. 166(I)/2001, L. 34(I)/2002, L. 77(I)/2002, L. 33(I)/2004, L. 92(I)/2007, L. 126(I)/2009, l. 107(I)/2010
14. Law on the indication of the selling prices of products offered to consumers of 2000 (L. 112(Ι)/2000) as amended by L. 119(I)/2005, L. 136(I)/2005
15. Law on court orders for the protection of collective interests of consumers of 2007 (L. 101(I)/2007)
16. Law on alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes of 2017 (L.85(I)/2017)
17. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 February 2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights, and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 295/91 (Text with EEA relevance) – Commission Statement
18. Regulation (EC) No 861/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 July 2007 establishing a European Small Claims Procedure
19. Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 October 2004 on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws (the Regulation on consumer protection cooperation)
20. Regulation (EU) No 524/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013 on online dispute resolution for consumer disputes and amending Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 and Directive 2009/22/EC (Regulation on consumer ODR)

The lawyer of our office, Christiana Markou, has given a speech on the advanced data protection issues associated with sperm/egg donation in the context of fertility procedures. The event has been orgnanized by the European University Cyprus and Cryos International, an international sperm and egg bank with presence in Cyprus.

source image: www.flickr.com

The Lawyer of our office Georgia Zantira has completed successfully with distinction her LL.M. on corporate insolvency law at Lancaster University (UK). The thesis is entitled ‘A comparative evaluation of Cypriot corporate insolvency regimes in the light of the 2015 reforms’ and focuses on the 2015 amendments of the Cyprus Companies Law, Capital 113. These amendments were aimed at introducing a restructuring process for legal entities and promoting the rescue and restoration of business activities, as well as ensuring the protection of interests of all persons connected with insolvent companies and modernizing the liquidation procedures. At a general level, the thesis describes the Cypriot legal regime on corporate liquidation and then evaluates the new insolvency laws and examines their effectiveness through a comparison between the new Cypriot corporate liquidation laws and the corresponding UK laws.

The amendments came into force, as a new package of insolvency laws and were part of the Bailout Program for Cyprus which aimed at assisting the Republic of Cyprus to cope with the challenges of the financial crisis. The analysis and evaluation of the new insolvency laws shed light on the new provisions that have not been tested before the courts as yet and additionally, contribute in ascertaining whether the relevant amendments are efficient enough to serve the purpose for which they were introduced.

The exact extent and nature of the influence of the UK laws on the Cypriot corporate liquidation regime are disclosed along with the extent to which the practical experience with the law in the UK could serve as an interpretation tool assisting Cypriot courts in the application of the new Cyprus laws.

This thesis makes useful conclusions and suggestions for the improvement of the new corporate insolvency regime which are synopsized as follows:

• The major step of the modernization of Cyprus Insolvency Law was the introduction of the mechanism of Examinership which is very similar to the Irish Examinership and aims to the survival of the whole or any part of the stressed financially business. Yet the new mechanism has doubtful effectiveness due mainly to high costs and an out of court procedure is suggested.
• The compulsory liquidation has been reformed and modernized in favor of the protection of rights of guarantors and the protection of the company and creditors with the only weaknesses of some procedural matters. It is suggested in order to eliminate costs and time of the process the strengthening of the role and involvement of the Liquidator and at the same time the limitation of the involvement of the Court in the procedure.
• Significant amendments in Cyprus law which were made so as to strengthen the interests of the creditors, incorporate rules and principles of the UK law are the application of the cash-flow test, the balance sheet test and the pari passu principle along with the introduction of the new procedure of the early dissolution of the company, the extended powers of the Liquidator and the expanded new definition of “the inability to pay debts” that allowed to a larger number of parties to petition for winding up a company. An amendment relevant to the example of the UK public interest liquidation so as to ensure control of company activities that may harm the public interests it is also suggested.

A major step as to the modernization of the liquidation law has undeniably been taken, and it is now upon the discretion of the legislator to proceed with taking further measures for further improved regulation.  As far as the Courts are concerned, they should continue correctly using as a source of guidance the UK law given the great similarities with Cyprus law.

Georgia Zantira, Lawyer & Legal Advisor (LL.M.)

Διάλεξη με θέμα <Ηχορύπανση: Υφιστάμενο νομικό πλαίσιο και ανάγκη αναθεώρησης του> διοργάνωσε ο Σύνδεσμος Καταναλωτών Κύπρου την Τρίτη 19 Φεβρουαρίου. Παρών στη διάλεξη ήταν και ο δικηγόρος του γραφείου μας Ανδρέας Σαζεΐδης που χειρίζεται υποθέσεις οχληρίας.

Την διάλεξη επιμελήθηκε και παρουσίασε η κα. Έφη Ξάνθου αναπληρώτρια Πρόεδρος του Κινήματος Οικολόγων Περιβαλλοντιστών. Στη διάλεξη έγινε λεπτομερής αναφορά στην Κυπριακή Νομοθεσία έτσι ώστε να γνωρίζει ο κάθε πολίτης ποιές περιπτώσεις συνιστούν οχληρία. Αίσθηση προκάλεσε το γεγονός ότι δεν έχει προστεθεί στην κυπριακή νομοθεσία ο τρόπος μέτρησης του ήχου, με την μονάδα ντεσιμπέλ έτσι ώστε να διευκολυνθεί η δουλειά της αστυνομίας και να προωθούνται περισσότερες υποθέσεις ενώπιον της δικαιοσύνης.

Περαιτέρω, έγινε αναφορά σε μελέτη του Πανεπιστημίου της Σουηδίας στην οποία οι ερευνητές δήλωσαν ότι η ηχορύπανση προκαλεί στρες στον οργανισμό, αυξάνοντας την παραγωγή της ορμόνης κορτιζόλης, τα υψηλά επίπεδα της οποίας παίζουν ρόλο στην εναπόθεση λίπους κυρίως γύρω από την μέση ενώ σε κάποιες περιπτώσεις η έκθεση σε υψηλά επίπεδα θορύβου αυξάνει τον κίνδυνο εισαγωγής στο νοσοκομείο για καρδιακή νόσο κατά 20%.

Ρίχνοντας μια ματιά στον πίνακα στα δεξιά μπορείτε να δείτε, με την βοήθεια της μονάδας μέτρησης ντεσιμπέλ, ποιες περιπτώσεις θεωρείται ότι ο ήχος είναι αρκετά δυνατός.

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