Protecting consumers against abusive debt recovery practices: lessons from Germany and the Baltic States

Prof. Karin Sein

Abusive debt recovery practices are one of the most concerning problems for Baltic consumers. They stem largely from the fact that the legal regulation of these activities has been very limited, and the question of regulatory choices has just started in the Baltic states. The participants of the project and the participants of the workshop that they organised gathered insights in debt recovery practices in Germany and Baltics and discussed solutions that are available (or missing) in respective jurisdictions. Among others, they analysed how unfair commercial practices and data protection rules can be utilized to protect consumers against abusive debt collectors.

Direct: Professors of law and other academic staff from Germany and three Baltic States

Indirect: academics, PhD and master students from the Baltic states specializing in consumer/data protection, state officials in Estonia (eg from the Ministry of Justice or the Financial Supervision Inspectorate) involved with supervisory activities over debt recovery agencies.