Consumer Contractual Rights (Directive)

The EU-Commission proposes to revise the Directve as to doorstep selling, unfair contract terms, distant selling, as well as to the purchase of consumer goods and subsume it under a new directive. The main target of the Directive is the transition from minimum harmonisation of consumer contractual rights to a full harmonisation.

cepPolicyBrief

Full harmonisation of consumer rights leads to more effective exploitation of the full internal market potential. The Directive does not entail any higher costs limiting the supply of goods and services or increasing prices. However, the fact that the Commission determines which contract terms are deemed unfair without a co-decision of the European Parliament and the Council gives cause for concern, since this would inappropriately restrict the influence of the European Parliament and the Council. The Directive should be revised in this regard.