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We are all created equal

Podgorica, 27 July 2018 – The NGOs – the Centre for Consumer Protection (CEZAP) and the Association of the Blind of Montenegro (SSCG) – have presented the project “We are all created equal: Towards the more effective consumer protection of persons with disabilities” at the EU Info Centre. The goal of the project is to provide better protection of the consumer rights of people with disabilities. The project is funded by the European Union, and implemented by CEZAP and SSCG.

“One of the basic postulates of the entire legal system of the European Union is equality of all and the prohibition of discrimination on any grounds,” recalled Olga Nikcevic, the president of the Centre for Consumer Protection of Montenegro.

The most frequent form of discrimination against persons with disabilities is a lack of adequate access to goods and services. The overall goal of this project is to contribute to the empowerment of the basic rights and greater social inclusion of people with disabilities.

“The basic barrier to visually impaired people as consumers is the lack of availability of product information. In this way, we are trying to reduce this obstacle,” said Goran Macanovic, the president of the Association of the Blind of Montenegro.

During the project, a special telephone line and web platform for reporting cases of discrimination against persons with disabilities as consumers will be available.

CEZAP and SSCG have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Ombudsman, which envisages close cooperation and the coordination of mutual activities in order to achieve the goals and tasks set by the project. The total value of the project is €128,782.50, of which the European Union is financing €122,000. The implementation of the project started on 1 May 2018 and will last for 24 months.