Harmonisation of European contract law: with special emphasis on consumer law

This article reviews the current status of the harmonization of European contract law with reference to consumer contracts. Consumer law is investigated in a broader context of European Union contract law in general, including conflict of laws and possible reforms such as the Draft Common Frame of Reference as a basis for an Optional Instrument and follow-up to the Commission proposal of a Consumer Rights Directive.

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Notes

Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the law applicable to contractual obligations (Rome I) [2008] OJ L 177/6.

Council Directive 85/577/EEC of 20 December 1985 to protect the consumer in respect of contracts negotiated away from business premises [1985] OJ L 372/31.

Directive 97/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 1997 on the protection of consumers in respect of distance contracts [1997] OJ L 144/19.

Directive 1999/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 May 1999 on certain aspects of the sale of consumer goods and associated guarantees [1999] OJ L 171/12.

Council Directive 90/314/EEC of 13 June 1990 on package travel, package holidays and package tours [1990] OJ L 158/59.

Council Directive 87/102/EEC of 22 December 1986 for the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States concerning consumer credit [1986] OJ L 42/48.

Directive 2008/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008 on credit agreements for consumers and repealing Council Directive 87/102/EEC [2008] OJ L 133/66.

Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on credit agreements relating to residential property, COM (2011) 142.

Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market and amending Council Directive 84/450/EEC, Directives 97/7/EC, 98/27/EC and 2002/65/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (‘Unfair Commercial Practices Directive’) [2005] OJ L 149/22.

Council Directive 85/577/EEC of 20 December 1985 to protect the consumer in respect of contracts negotiated away from business premises [1985] OJ L 372/31.

Directive 97/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 1997 on the protection of consumers in respect of distance contracts [1997] OJ L 144/19.

Directive 2002/65/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September 2002 concerning the distance marketing of consumer financial services and amending Council Directive 90/619/EEC and Directives 97/7/EC and 98/27/EC [2002] OJ L 271/16.

Directive 2002/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 November 2002 concerning life assurance [2002] OJ L 345/1.

Directive 2008/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008 on credit agreements for consumers and repealing Council Directive 87/102/EEC [2008] OJ L 133/66.

Directive 2008/122/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 January 2009 on the protection of consumers in respect of certain aspects of timeshare, long-term holiday product, resale and exchange contracts [2009] OJ L 33/10.

Directive 1999/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 May 1999 on certain aspects of the sale of consumer goods and associated guarantees [1999] OJ L 171/12.

Case C-404/06 Quelle AG v Bundesverband der Verbraucherzentralen und Verbraucherverbände [2008] ECR I-2685.

Joined Cases C-65/09 and C-87/09 Gebr. Weber GmbH v Jürgen Wittmer and Ingrid Putz v Medianess Electronics GmbH [2011] OJ C 226/2.

Joined cases C-240/98 to C-244/98 Océano Grupo Editorial SA v Roció Murciano Quintero [2000] ECR I-4941.

Case C-243/08 Pannon GSM Zrt.v Erzsébet Sustikné Győrfi [2009] ECR I-4713; similar Case C-137/08 Penzügyi Lízing v Ferenc Schneider [2011] OJ C 13/2.

Case C-481/99 Georg Heininger and Helga Heininger v Bayerische Hypo- und Vereinsbank AG [2001] ECR I-9945.

Case C-350/03 Elisabeth Schulte and Wolfgang Schulte v Deutsche Bausparkasse Badenia AG [2005] ECR I-9215.

Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin [2000] OJ L 180/22.

Council Directive 2003/109/EC of 25 November 2003 concerning the status of third-country nationals who are long-term residents [2003] OJ L16/44.

Council Directive 2004/113/EC of 13 December 2004 implementing the principle of equal treatment between men and women in the access to and supply of goods and services [2004] OJ L373/37.

Proposal for a Council Directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, COM (2008) 426.

Case C-236/09 Association belge des Consommateurs Test-Achats ASBL v Conseil des ministres [2011] ECR I-0000.

Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee EU Consumer Policy strategy 2007–2013—Empowering consumers, enhancing their welfare, effectively protecting them, COM (2007) 99.

Directive 2002/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on universal service and users' rights relating to electronic communications networks and services (Universal Service Directive) [2002] OJ L 108/51; Directive 2009/136/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 amending Directive 2002/22/EC on universal service and users’ rights relating to electronic communications networks and services, Directive 2002/58/EC concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector and Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws [2009] OJ L 337/11.

Directive 2003/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2003 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and repealing Directive 96/92/EC [2003] OJ L 176/37; Directive 2003/55/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2003 concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas and repealing Directive 98/30/EC [2003] OJ L 176/57; Directive 2009/72/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and repealing Directive 2003/54/EC [2009] OJ 5 L 211/5; Directive 2009/73/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas and repealing Directive 2003/55/EC [2009] OJ 4 L 211/9.

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 February 2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights, and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 295/91 [2004] OJ L 46/1.

Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air—Montreal, 28 May 1999.

Joined Cases C-402/07 and C-432/07 Christopher Sturgeon and Others v Condor Flugdienst GmbH and Stefan Böck and Cornelia Lepuschitz v Air France SA [2009] ECR I-10923; methodological criticism has been voiced by Riesenhuber 2010, 384, 399 denying an analogy between cancellation giving a right to compensation under Article 7 of Regulation 261/2004 and long delays having no such provision. Recent references by several courts have challenged the findings of Sturgeon, see Case C-315/11 reference for a preliminary ruling from the Rechtbank Breda (Netherlands) lodged on 27 June 2011—A. T. G. M. Van de Ven & M. A. H. T. Van de Ven-Janssen v Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.

Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on rail passengers’ rights and obligations [2007] OJ L 315/14.

Now Regulation (EU) No 1177/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 concerning the rights of passengers when travelling by sea and inland waterway and amending Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 [2010] OJ L 334/1; Regulation (EU) No 181/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 concerning the rights of passengers in bus and coach transport and amending Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 [2011] OJ L 55/1.

80/934/EEC: Convention on the law applicable to contractual obligations opened for signature in Rome on 19 June 1980 [1980] OJ L266/1.

Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 of 22 December 2000 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters [2001] OJ L 12/1.

1980 Rome Convention on the law applicable to contractual obligations (consolidated version) [1998] OJ C 27/34.

Report on the Convention on the law applicable to contractual obligations by Mario Giuliano, Professor, University of Milan, and Paul Lagarde, Professor, University of Paris I OJ [1980] C 282/1.

Green paper on the conversion of the Rome Convention of 1980 on the law applicable to contractual obligations into a Community instrument and its modernisation, COM (2002) 654 final.

Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the law applicable to contractual obligations (Rome I) [2008] OJ L 177/6. For details see Lando and Nielsen 2008, 1687; Martiny 2010, 747; Calliess et al. 2011.

Joined cases C-585/08 and C-144/09 Peter Pammer v Reederei Karl Schlüter GmbH & Co KG and Hotel Alpenhof GesmbH v Oliver Heller [2010] ECR I-0000.

First Council Directive 73/239/EEC of 24 July 1973 on the coordination of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to the taking-up and pursuit of the business of direct insurance other than life assurance [1973] OJ L 228/3.

Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the law applicable to contractual obligations (Rome I) [2008] OJ L 177/6.

Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on European contract law, COM (2001) 398 final.

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council—A more coherent European Contract Law—An action plan, COM (2003) 68 final.

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council—European Contract Law and the revision of the acquis: the way forward, COM (2004) 651.

Green paper from the Commission on policy options for progress towards a European Contract Law for consumers and businesses, COM (2010) 348.

For a general discussion see the contributions to Schulze and Stuyck 2011; the “Feasibility Study” itself is published on 221–296.

Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market and amending Council Directive 84/450/EEC, Directives 97/7/EC, 98/27/EC and 2002/65/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council [2005] OJ L 149/22.

Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on consumer rights, COM (2008) 614.

Draft Report on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on consumer rights COM (2008) 614—C7-0349/2008—2008/196 (COD); Draft Opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs for the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection on the proposal for a European Parliament and Council directive on consumer rights COM (2008) 614—C6-0349/2008—2008/196 (COD).

Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on consumer rights COM (2008) 614—C6-0349/2008—2008/196 (COD).

The consolidated text of the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on consumer rights COM (2008) 614 was approved by the European Parliament on 23 June 2011.

A European contract law for consumers and businesses: Publication of the results of the feasibility study carried out by the Expert Group on European contract law for stakeholders' and legal practitioners' feedback, Annex IV; http://www.ec.europa.eu/justice/contract/files/feasibility-study_en.pdf.

The consolidated text of the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on consumer rights COM (2008) 614 was approved by the European Parliament on 23 June 2011.

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Authors and Affiliations

1. Emeritus Professor, Law Faculty, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany Norbert Reich

1. Norbert Reich