That Bulgaria's European Union Commissioner for Consumer Protection Meglena Kouneva was recently crowned European Union Commissioner of the Year has done little, if anything, to diminish the complete lack of faith that Bulgarians have in the protection of their rights.

According to an EU survey that Kouneva presented on December 7, only 13 per cent of Bulgarians believe their consumer rights are protected, the lowest percentage of all EU member states.

At her turn, Kouneva was highly critical of the way consumer rights were protected in Bulgaria, Bulgarian daily Gradski Vestnik said.

The fact that Bulgarians also filed the least complaints was, according to Kouneva, "a sign of a complete lack of faith in the public sector, the market and the judiciary".

Bulgarian consumers found it, according to the research, easiest to compare services being provided, which, according to Kouneva, was simply indicative of a complete lack of variety in what was being offered.

When it came to concern about product safety, something that half of EU citizens interviewed said they considered a factor when choosing a product or service, only 29 per cent of Bulgarians shared that consideration. This was the lowest in the EU.

Bulgarians were also least satisfied with the quality of products or services being offered. Only 67 per cent found them to be adequate, compared with 75 per cent on average for the entire EU and as much as 95 per cent in Ireland.