CONSUMER PROTECTION AGAINST UNFAIR CONTRACT TERMS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BETWEEN MOLDOVAN LAW, ARMENIAN LAW AND EUROPEAN LAW

PASCAL MIHAELA
PhD in Law, Lecturer , “Stefan cel Mare” Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the Republic of Moldova
Executive Director, European Consumer Centre of the Republic of Moldova Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
ORCID: 0000-0003-2018-4495
Email: mihaela.pascal@ecc.md

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24818/cike2025.100

Pages: 791–798

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Abstract

The paper examines consumer protection against unfair terms in standard‑form (adhesion) contracts through a comparative analysis of Moldovan law, Armenian law, and European Union (EU) law. It takes as a benchmark the EU test of a “significant imbalance contrary to good faith,” the transparency requirements, and the sanction that renders unfair terms non‑binding, and maps these against national preventive and remedial mechanisms. The methodology combines doctrinal and legislative analysis (special consumer statutes, civil code provisions, and sector‑specific regulations—financial services, telecommunications, and digital content/data) with selected case law and institutional enforcement practice. The findings indicate notable convergence with the EU acquis, alongside gaps concerning black/grey lists of clauses, courts’ ex officio control, the effectiveness of injunctive actions, and the treatment of common subscription‑economy terms (unilateral price changes, automatic renewal, unjustified limitations of liability, and pre‑formulated arbitration clauses). Building on this, the article advances targeted policy recommendations: strengthening the material and procedural framework for unfair‑terms control; explicitly codifying indicative lists; issuing trader compliance checklists; broadening standing for consumer associations; and improving enforcement, sanctions, and ADR/ODR interfaces. The study’s contribution is applied and practice‑oriented, outlining a feasible roadmap for alignment and good practice for authorities, courts, businesses, and consumer assistance centres, with positive effects on legal certainty and market trust in both domestic and cross‑border transactions.

 

Keywords: Unfair contract terms, Consumer protection, Adhesion contracts, Republic of Moldova, Armenia, EU law, Contract transparency

JEL Classification: K12, D18, K23, K33, K41

References

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