The Center for Consumer Protection in Montenegro (CEZAP), in cooperation with partners: Centre for Monitoring and Research CeMI, the Montenegrin LGBTQ Association (Queer Montenegro) and the Network for the Enforcement of the European Integration Process (MAEIP). From 6th to 8th of May 2016, CEZAP organized training on consumer rights protection. Training on consumer rights protection was held within the project “Improving capacities of CSOs and the system of consumer protection in Montenegro – PROTECT.ME” at Princess Hotel in Bar.

The training gathered members of civil society organizations from all parts of Montenegro, who accepted the invitation to work in their regions in order to increase the overall respect for the rights of consumers. These organizations will be ready in the future to act jointly when the first Montenegrin NGO Network for Consumer Protection is formed.

At the very beginning, CeMI Executive Director Nikoleta Tomovic and CEZAP Program Director Zeljka Rajkovic, introduced participants with the project itself, its goals and objectives of training on consumer rights protection.

The main goal of the training was to increase the knowledge of civil society organizations on consumer rights in order to increase consumer awareness of their rights and obligations. Participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the institutional model of consumer protection in EU member states, the key challenges in applying consumer rights in Montenegro, the system of providing free legal aid to consumers and reviewing the overall situation in Montenegro and further expectations on the way to achieving the European level of consumer protection.

Trainers were experts in the field of consumer protection: Zvezdan Čađenović and Marijana Lončar Velkova.

The trainings were conceived so that a lot of attention was devoted to the active participation of all members of the Network in discussions, debating open issues and conducting interactive discussions.