Effective consumer protection today increasingly depends on the ability to connect expert knowledge with the practical functioning of legislation and public policies. In addition to identifying problems, an important role is also played by how these issues enter decision-making processes.

This question was the focus of an international training seminar held on 11–13 March 2026 in Bratislava, organised by the Smart Consumer Institute in cooperation with the Czech Consumer forum, the Hungarian Association of Consumer Protectors, and the Georgian Research-Intellectual Club “Dialogue of Generations”.

The training was co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.

The event brought together lawyers, analysts, and representatives of consumer organisations and academia from Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, and Georgia. They discussed how to respond to emerging challenges and how to strengthen the capacity of organisations to advocate for the public interest in consumer protection.

The program focused on practical tools and hands-on work with concrete examples. Participants explored how to monitor legislative processes, engage in public consultations, communicate with the media, and effectively cooperate with policymakers. An important part of the program was also the exchange of experiences between countries and discussions on different approaches to addressing similar challenges.

The training was built around experienced experts from public administration, media, and public affairs, who brought practical, real-world perspectives into the discussions. Participants had the opportunity to work with concrete cases and situations that demonstrated how public policies are shaped in practice and what tools are used in this process.

“The aim was to show how expert analysis can be connected with practical steps that lead to real change,” said Filip Kužma, Director of the Smart Consumer Institute.

The article was also published on Medium: https://medium.com/@SmartConsumerInstitute/how-can-we-better-represent-consumers-in-a-changing-world-0a8d489cca49.