The new Consumer Protection Act

The new Consumer Protection Act ("the Act") has been published in the Collection of Laws and will enter into force on July 1, 2024.

The Act represents a change in the field of consumer law, but not a codification of all consumer law.

The Act is a response to the need to transpose several European Parliament and Council Directives into Slovak law.

The Act introduces significant changes for consumers (e.g. by extending the withdrawal period without giving a reason for contracts concluded during a sales event or door-to-door sales from 14 to 30 days, by protecting against non-transparent purchases and fake reviews in the online environment, or by increasing protection against artificially inflating prices in front of various discounts and sales), as well as for traders (e.g. introducing more institutions to waive the imposition of sanctions in cases where traders voluntarily stop infringements and remedy them, or removing obligations that are excessively burdensome for traders).

At the same time, the Civil Code is also being significantly amended. New concepts and definitions are also introduced, such as digital content, digital services and things with digital elements.