Armenia’s Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan presented a new legislative package aimed at strengthening consumer rights and aligning Armenian law more closely with European Union standards.

The draft amendments to the Law on Protection of Consumer Interests were debated in parliament on March 3. Papoyan described the initiative as part of Armenia’s broader effort to harmonize its regulatory framework with EU directives.

A central element of the bill concerns unfair terms in consumer contracts. “When aligning with the directive on unfair terms in contracts with consumers, contracts concluded with consumers cannot include unfair conditions,” Papoyan said.

He explained that unfair terms are those “that a consumer, acting in their own interest, would not have accepted if given the opportunity to participate in determining the contract’s terms.”

The legislation defines categories of unfair terms and strengthens legal mechanisms for challenging them in court, enhancing consumer protection in disputes with businesses.

The bill also introduces clearer definitions of misleading and comparative advertising. “It establishes the concepts of misleading advertising and comparative advertising, the circumstances under which advertising is considered misleading, and the permissible and impermissible cases of comparative advertising,” Papoyan noted.

Another significant component is the formal regulation of remote contracts and agreements concluded outside business premises, reflecting the rapid expansion of online commerce. “Consumers will be protected by having the right to contact the manufacturer, seller or service provider within a fixed period if a defect is discovered in a product, including digital content, in order to have the defect remedied,” Papoyan said.

The new protections will apply to contracts involving movable property, digital content, data-sharing arrangements and other forms of electronic transactions.

The proposed amendments are intended to close regulatory gaps and create a more predictable and transparent consumer protection environment in Armenia.