The Romanian Association for Consumers’ Protection – APC Romania – marked its 25^th anniversary with a special event that took place at the InterContinental Hotel in Bucharest on Thursday 25 February, 2015. The modern 21st floor Fortuna Ballroom, known for offering unique views, allowed participants the opportunity to share ideas about the history and the future of Consumer Protection in Romania, and the significant past, present and future contribution of APC Romania within this context of being constantly involved in the reference domains (advice to consumers; informing the consumers; representing the consumers; promoting the best practices of the cooperation between civil society and authorities; projects sustained: „Bugetul Familiei”, „Alege!Este dreptul tau”, „Vreau paine curata”, „Internet sigur”, „Centrul European al Consumatorilor din Romania”, „ Consumator European” etc.), and constantly proving its concern for “ongoing quality improvement” of its activities.

President of APC Romania is Associate Professor Costel Stanciu (APC Romania is a Founding Member of the Romanian Distribution Committee, and Dr. Costel Stanciu is an Honorary Member of the Romanian Distribution Committee). APC Romania was recognized in 2005, by the Romanian Government, as a public utility organization and as an important actor in the social dialogue. APC Romania is a member of BEUC (Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs), and is also playing an active role in: Consumers International (CI, the world federation of consumer groups), the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD), European Consumer Consultative Group (ECCG, the European Commission’s main forum to consult national and European consumer organizations).

Within this remarkable framework hosting this celebration, APC Romania honored with prestigious awards distinguished participants such as: Bogdan Chiritoiu, President of the Romanian Competition Council, Marius Alexandru Dunca, Secretary of State, President of the Romanian National Authority for the Consumers Protection, Paul Nicolae Petrovan, the Prefect of Bucharest Municipality. President of APC Romania, Costel Stanciu, handed over the honor awards. President of the Romanian Distribution Committee, Theodor Purcarea (Professor at the Romanian-American University), also received APC Romania honor award.

It is also worth to mention that APC Romania honored with the prestigious award the Minister of National Education, Professor Sorin Mihai Cîmpeanu. President of APC Romania, Costel Stanciu, handed over the honor award to the representative of the Ministry of National Education, Gabriel Neagu, who participated at this anniversary event. On this occasion of its 25th anniversary APC Romania received an honor award from the Romanian Ministry of National Education.

On the other hand, allow us to underline the fact that the distinguished Professors Léon F. Wegnez (Secretary General of AIDA Brussels) and Bernd Hallier (President of European Retail Academy) sent congratulatory messages to APC Romania.

The Romanian Association for Consumers’ Protection – APC Romania – will celebrate its 25th year with an anniversary event on 25 February, 2015. Founded in February of 1990, APC Romania (a BEUC member since November 2005) is a non-governmental and not for profit organization, its main objectives being to defend, promote and represent the interests of consumers among businesses and institutions.

Allow as to remember that Wednesday, May 28, 2014, on the occasion of a remarkable Roundtable – “Consumer protection and the pressure of economic and societal changes: the digital revolution; the sustainable consumption; the social exclusion, the vulnerable consumers and the accessibility” – Associate Professor Costel Stanciu, President of APC Romania, was awarded the Diploma of „Honorary Member” of the Romanian Distribution Committee, as a prestigious recognition for his endeavor and achievement.

We already argued that APC Romania, a Founding Member of the Romanian Distribution Committee, is continuing to confirm: the ability to reach its role of independent campaigning voice for Romanian consumers, by focusing on the shared concerns of consumers within Romanian society at large and by constantly covering the complex area of expectations from business in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility; that an educated consumer is a powerful consumer, able to protect himself and to modify unfair commercial conduct of the economic operator.

Prof. Dr. Bernd Hallier, Honorary Member of the Romanian Distribution Committee, is the “designer” of the European Retail Academy (Romanian Distribution Committee has awarded Professor Bernd Hallier in 2006 the title of “Designer of the Year”), a virtual platform that brings more transparency about retail research and retail-education and promotes the international transfer of know-how between business and universities. Dr. Hallier was for the first time in Romania, in Bucharest, in May 1998 on the occasion of the 24th International Congress of AIDA Brussels organized by the Romanian Distribution Committee. Launching the so-called „Evolution Tornado Retail”, Professor Hallier argued (inter alia) that: less seen by the consumers but more by the experts and some dedicated academics is the change of the backstage in retail; no attention at all was paid to the evaluation of philosophies offered by the steady upgrade of retail-technologies; consumers can gain much more impact onto the listing of products, onto services within a store (it might be the time when the outlets become a “point of consumers”- POC – again). The underlined real passion proved by Professor Bernd Hallier is confirming the link between the significance of three German quotes: “What is my life if I am not longer useful to others” (Goethe); “Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion” (Hebel); “What is not started today is never finished tomorrow” (Goethe).

The European Retail Academy (ERA) was founded in February 2005 at the exhibition EuroShop by Prof. Dr. Bernd Hallier and some of his academic friends to support the Bologna-process and the interaction between theory and application in the field. Today www.european-retail-academy.org has links to more than 225 research-institutes for trade/marketing/ tourism all over the world. The ERA Hall of Fame selects each year one professor who stands for outstanding contributions within the international interaction of research and applied sciences. Continuously SubSites have been launched to target special interest groups via AgriBusinessForum, Environmental Retail Management, Competence for Vocational Training, Forum Art Business, Global Green University, Art/Therapy/Geomancy (KTG) and Urban Revitalization. According to Prof. Dr. Bernd Hallier: “Those information platforms are partly Number 1 at Google in their segments; but even more important are our student-activities: they are our investment into Future and Peace”.