On Consumers' Right Of Association

Consumers' right of association refers to the freedom of establishing consumer social organizations in order to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests,which is not only the specific embodiment of the constitutional freedom of association in consumer law, but also the inevitable requirement for improving the disadvantaged condition of consumers' own. With the dual nature of economic law and constitution,Consumers' right of association plays the functions just as control, coordination, protection and service in protecting consumers,which is on the basic position in the system of consumer rights. At the beginnig of 20th century,the flourishion of consumerism brought about a lot of consumer groups,and with the promotion of these groups,consumers' right of association obtained legal recognition as the legal rights of consumer,thus the freedom of association was transformed from constitutional rights into consumer rights. Consumers setting up the voluntary defense organizations are the performance of consumer rights to associat,which have different forms in various countries with a number of statutory functions, and are given great encouragement and support by governments,including funds and founding specialized agencies,so as to formate interaction of government and consumer social organizations. It is essential to provide relief due to the threat of violating the consumer rights to associate. And the remedies are different from other consumer rigts because of the dual nature of consumer right to associate,which is closely related to the situation of constitution,and the main targets of remedy involv obstruction of consumer organizations' atonomy and violation of individual rights to associate. There are some shortcomings in the legislation of our country's consumer right to associate,which mainly existed in the regulation about administrationg of social organizations and consumer groups,as well as the govenment's support. So many problems is happened in our consumer associations such as the chaotic loction,funding difficlties and the weaknes of functions. In view of this situation in our country,it should be resonable to construct a seris of relevant law and regulation,reconstruct the consumer associations' position,and strengthen the government's guidance and assistance to consumer organizations .Thus consumer organizations can fully play an important role in protection of consumer rights and interests.