ADVOCACY.
THINK TANK.
EDUCATION.
At Smart Consumer Institute, we have been advocating for the interests of smart consumers, educating and contributing to policies that help bridge the technological and innovation gap between Central and Eastern Europe and its Western partners since 2018.
We think that consumer protection is much more than just a fight against unfair business practices – we want Slovakia to grow and become a truly innovation-friendly country capable of attracting and retaining domestic and foreign investments and know-how that support consumers’ quality of life. As consumers, we deserve to live in an economic environment that offers high-quality, green, affordable, and innovative products and services in every field, from finance to healthcare. We believe properly set regulatory frameworks can support innovative behavior and help stimulate such growth.
OUR ACTIVITIES
#ForAffordableHousing (#ZaDostupnéBývanie) Platform
Slovakia has one of the least affordable housing in Europe.
Therefore, we have launched a new project – #ForAffordableHousing, a platform under the umbrella of the Smart Consumer Institute, which aims to show that this problem has a solution.
We know that finding good housing is difficult for everyone – there are many options and tools, and different ones suit different people – mortgages, building savings, or investing in ETF funds, for example.
If you want to know where to start, visit www.zadostupnebyvanie.sk.
Call #ForOpenSundays (#ZaOtvoreneNedele)
In 2022 and 2023, the parliament considered several proposals to restrict Sunday shopping. Such a ban would have far-reaching impacts on consumers, employees, and the economy as a whole.
Given its harmful effects, we united 13 different think tanks, organisations, associations, and companies (INESS, INEKO, PAS, Bratislava Policy Institute, Panta Rhei, TESCO, Manufaktura, etc.) in our call #ForOpenSundays. Thanks to our public pressure, the lawmakers eventually did not approve the ban.
We protect consumers from harmful legislation
In the media, online, on social networks, and directly within the legislative process, we provide constructive analyses, positions, research, proposals, and comments that help create a modern, future-proof legislative environment that stimulates innovation and improves the quality of life for all consumers.
Whether it was a several-month-long fight against the Sunday shopping ban or our stances against expanding special levies and unpredictable policy-making, we closely monitor legislative initiatives and express our views on proposals that threaten the quality of the consumer environment or the consumers’ right to access quality innovative products and services. On the other hand, we are not afraid to come up with our own initiatives and further improve beneficial proposals.
We are fighting disinformation with a grant from the Dutch Embassy
In collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, we are working on a project aimed at debunking the most common disinformation and hoaxes in various fields, whether in the consumer environment or politics. At the institute, we realize that our place is in Europe – it is the European standards and institutions that guarantee strong consumer rights protection for Slovaks. Slovakia’s anchorage in the West represents stability, making us attractive in the eyes of investors and contributing to the influx of foreign capital in the form of money, know-how, technologies, and various products and services, which ultimately improve and simplify our lives.
