November 2023

Ana-Maria Baciu, Managing Partner of SIMION & BACIU was one of the speakers during the Consumer Protection Conference organized by PRIA EVENTS.

One of the key points in Ana-Maria’s intervention was her emphasis on the necessity of guidance from the relevant authorities.

“In the field of consumer protection, one of the dilemmas that various stakeholders, including companies, regulatory authorities, consultants, and even consumers, along with third-party professional associations are confronted with has an undeniable practical nature: as time progresses, the sheer volume of information mandated by European and domestic legislation for inclusion on product labels or on the shelf often exceeds the available physical space. The need for guidance from relevant authorities becomes imperative under these circumstances, and this necessity is intensified by the diverse solutions offered by inspectors representing regulatory bodies. Furthermore, the situation is exacerbated by the variety of decisions rendered by courts across the country, when the context results in disputes”, mentioned Ana-Maria.

Designed to facilitate ideas sharing by representatives of the European Commission, ANPC (Romanian National Authority for Consumer Protection), the business environment and the relevant associations, the conference represented a much-needed platform for opening the discussion on the vast theme of consumer protection, particularly in the current increasingly regulated environment when understanding and complying with the legislation impacting the consumer protection is a must.

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With a professional experience of over 20 years, Ana-Maria has been a promoter in the legal field dedicated to consumer and retail matters. She is independently recognized by the Romanian business environment as a constant presence in working groups, at events, or in front of the relevant public authorities (i.e., Romanian National Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC), National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA)) in the context of discussions concerning the protection of consumer rights or the adoption of relevant legislation before specialized committees in the Romanian Parliament.

Since 2020, Ana-Maria acts as Deputy Chair of the Trade Legislation task force of AmCham (the American Chamber of Commerce in Romania).

Ana-Maria is the first Romanian lawyer awarded the distinction Top Lawyer in Consumer Protection and Retail at the Lawyers’ Gala organized by FinMedia and Piata Financiara publications (2022, and subsequently awarded in 2023).