EU Commission to check consumer laws

 ROME -- The European Commission has published a Roadmap for an upcoming overall evaluation (Fitness Check) of EU consumer law in 2016 and 2017. Stakeholders are invited to send feedback on the roadmap within the next four weeks.

 The Roadmap outlines the overall scope and aim of this Fitness Check of EU consumer law as well as some key questions which the evaluation will address. The six directives to be covered have an important impact on the everday lives of consumers and businesses. They regulate issues such as price indication, guarantees for defective goods, unfair contract terms and unfair commercial practices, business to business advertising, as well as legal actions to get injunctions.

 As part of its Smart Regulation policy the Commission runs a Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme (REFIT). It aims to make EU law simpler and to reduce regulatory costs, thus contributing to a clear, stable and predictable regulatory framework. 

 The six directives to be evaluated are:

 Directive 2005/29/EC concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market (Unfair Commercial Practices Directive);

 Directive 1999/44/EC on certain aspects of the sale of consumer goods and associated guarantees (Sales and Guarantees Directive);

 Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms in consumer contracts (Unfair Contract Terms Directive).

 Directive 98/6/EC on consumer protection in the indication of the prices of products offered to consumers (Price Indication Directive);

 Directive 2006/114/EC concerning misleading and comparative advertising (Misleading and Comparative Advertising Directive);

 Directive 2009/22/EC on injunctions for the protection of consumers' interests (Injunctions Directive).

 All citizens and organizations are welcome to respond to this consultation, and the period of the  consultation goes from 12.05.2016 to 02.09.2016.

 For more information please follow the link below:

 http://ec.europa.eu/justice/newsroom/consumer-marketing/opinion/160502_en.htm

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Vĕra Jourová, the EU commissioner for consumer affairs