On 23rd June, 2016, the President of the Office for Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) and the Chairman of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) concluded an annex to the Agreement of 2007 expanding the cooperation between the two institutions.
The KNF notified that, in accordance with the Annex, the scope of cooperation has been expanded. The cooperation will involve the activities of the President of the UOKiK resulting from the amended act on competition and consumer protection, in particular the so called mystery client, i.e. activities aimed at purchasing goods in order to obtain information being evidence in the case.
The institutions will cooperate when the President of the UOKiK conducts inspection proceedings or proceedings on practices which infringe collective consumer interests, the subject of which shall be the evaluation of practices of entrepreneurs under the supervision of the KNF, related to the offering to consumers of financial services which do not meet consumers’ needs or are proposed in a manner inadequate to their nature.
The KNF will be entitled to participate in the preparation of inspection activities, in particular by providing the President of the UOKiK with information justifying the use by an entrepreneur of practices infringing collective consumer interests and justifying the taking up of inspection activities. The Agreement also provides for cooperation in the development of inspection plans and scenarios.
