About Us
The functions of the Authority are the following:
to promote and enhance competition
to safeguard consumers’ interests and enhance their welfare
to promote voluntary standards and provide standardisation related services
to promote the national metrology strategy
to promote the smooth transposition and adoption of technical regulations
to perform such other function that may be assigned to it under this or any other law or regulations
The Board of Governors is the main organ of the Authority. The Board shall be composed of not less than seven and not more than ten other members, to be appointed by the Minister.
The Office for Consumer Affairs is primarily responsible for promoting and protecting consumers’ rights and welfare, an objective achieved by fostering fair and healthy relationships between consumers and traders. The Office is structured into three directorates. The Information, Education and Research Directorate provides guidance on consumer rights, educates consumers, and promotes good trading practices within the business community. It also conducts market studies aimed at identifying and addressing market failures. The Complaints and Conciliation Directorate assists consumers in resolving disputes with traders through a conciliation process designed to reach amicable solutions. The Enforcement Directorate ensures compliance with consumer protection legislation within the Office’s remit, including investigating unfair commercial practices and unfair contract terms, as well as monitoring compliance with requirements on price transparency and consumer information. Market oversight is carried out through both on-site inspections and digital monitoring of websites and e-commerce platforms.
The laws and regulations falling within the remit of the Office for Consumer Affairs are:
The Competition Act (Chapter 379 of the Laws of Malta) was last amended by virtue of Act XLV of 2021. Act XLV amended the Competition Act and the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority Act (Chapter 510 of the Laws of Malta) to mainly implement Directive (EU) 2019/1 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 to empower the competition authorities of the Member States to be more effective enforcers and to ensure the proper functioning of the internal market. The Minister had established the 31st of August 2021 as the date on which all the provisions of the said Act have come into force.
The provisions of the Competition Act as amended by virtue of Act XLV of 2021 shall not apply to investigations instituted by the Director General (Competition) and to any judicial proceedings filed by the Director General (Competition) in accordance with the Competition Act before the entry into force of the Competition Act and Act XLV of 2021.
The following is a list of applicable laws
The Office for Competition cooperates with the European Commission and other Member States’ national competition authorities within the European Competition Network (ECN). Following the Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 of 16 December on the implementation of the rules on competition laid down in Articles 81 and 82 of the Treaty, the national competition authorities became empowered to apply Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and to apply these articles concurrently with the national substantive competition law provisions where the agreement, practice, or conduct may affect trade between Member States.
The ECN provides the means to ensure the effective and consistent application of the EU competition rules. Through the ECN, competition authorities can share experiences, discuss pertinent topics, address competition problems, and seek convergence. Following Malta’s accession to the European Union in 2004, the Office for Competition attends regular meetings organised by the ECN under the auspices of the European Commission.
The Office for Competition also attends meetings organised by the Competition Division of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Competition Network (ICN), and seminars organised by other national competition authorities to stay updated with the latest developments in competition policy.
The Technical Regulations Division is responsible for legislation issued under the Product Safety Act (Cap. 427). Furthermore, the Division is the authority in Malta entrusted with the implementation of:
The functions of the Authority are the following:
The Regulatory Affairs Directorate is responsible for the transposition and implementation of legislation and represents various Ministries at EU Commission and (Technical Harmonization) Council Working Parties meetings in Brussels on issues related to Free Movement of Goods principles (as per Annex), CE Marking, Food risk assessment, Chemicals, Biocides, and Cosmetics.
The Market Surveillance Directorate is responsible for ensuring that only goods conforming to regulations are available on the market.
The Standards and Metrology Institute (SMI) within the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) is composed of three directorates: Standardisation, Metrology, and Laboratory Services.
The Standardisation Directorate is an independent national body established under the MCCAA Act (Act No. VI of 2011), responsible for coordinating standardisation and related activities at corporate, national, regional, and international levels, including the development, adoption, and publication of standards to enhance the quality of goods and services, safety, environmental protection, efficient resource use, and trade, in line with internationally accepted principles; in this role, the MCCAA is a full member of CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI and actively participates in their governing and technical bodies.
The Metrology Directorate is responsible for all measurement-related matters in Malta, maintaining National Reference Standards and carrying out legal metrology enforcement to ensure accuracy and reliability in measurements.
The Laboratory Services Directorate, comprising chemical, engineering, and civil engineering units, operates as an autonomous national scientific facility providing testing services primarily to government departments and public entities, guided by the core values of independence, technical competence, and customer confidentiality.
