Moldova’s national legislation on electronic commerce will be harmonized with the European one to stimulate e-commerce.
In particular, this is provided for by a package of amendments to the current legislation, approved by the Parliament in the second reading. The changes are aimed at bringing the legal framework regarding the electronic commerce (e-commerce) in accordance with the best practices of the European Union. The draft law provides for updating and modernizing the legislation on domestic trade and supplementing it with provisions on e-commerce. At the same time, the purpose of the bill is to remove restrictions that hinder the development of e-commerce in our country, as well as to strengthen consumer protection. Thus, the Law on electronic commerce was amended and renamed the "Law on Information Society Services. The Law on Internal Trade, the Law on Entrepreneurship and Enterprises, the Law on the Regime of Precious Metals and Precious Stones, the Law on Consumer Protection, the Law on Personal Data Protection and others were also updated. After the amendment of the Criminal Code, consumers of electronic services will receive increased protection in online commerce. For example, trading units that do not have a sales area and trade by electronic means, means of remote communication, contracts at a distance (e-commerce) and any other forms not prohibited by law, involving the activity of trading units without a sales area, are required to create places for the exchange of goods. For the lack of such places the responsible entities will be held criminally liable. At the same time, trading units engaged in online sales of precious metals will be exempt from the obligation to own a space of 12 square meters to conduct business, and merchants will be required to apply the same discounts regardless of the payment method (cash or non-cash) preferred by the buyer, as well as to inform customers about the accepted payment instruments/means. There is also an obligation for online sellers of alcohol and delivery service employees to check the age of the buyer, including the personnel responsible for the delivery. The document is developed by the government, and later the Cabinet of Ministers will present a number of other initiatives to transform and modernize e-commerce in our country. // 17.03.2023 - InfoMarket
