In 2011, the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee has agreed with the Council upon a new Directive on consumer rights which aims at establishing an updated, clear and more uniform set of rules on consumer rights when purchasing goods and services, ensuring at the same time a better functioning of the internal market. The field harmonized covers rules on information, such as the essential characteristics of the product and how much it will cost when shopping online or ordering from a catalogue, rules on the right of withdrawal for buying online or for doorstep selling and rules on delivery. Also, a number of consumer 'traps' are being prohibited, such as the use of pre-ticked boxes generating hidden costs on websites, and the levying of excessive charges for the use of telephone helplines or certain payment means.
The Parliament has endorsed the text agreed with Council on 23 June 2011. Member States had until 13 December 2013 to transpose the Directive into national law; the provisions of the Directive will apply to contracts concluded after 13 June 2014.
Rapporteur: Andreas Schwab (EPP)
Shadow rapporteurs: Evelyne Gebhardt (S&D), Robert Rochefort (ALDE), Emilie Turunen (Greens/EFA), Adam Bielan (ECR), Kyriacos Triantaphyllides (GUE/NGL), Matteo Salvini (EFD)
Opinion-giving Committees: JURI (associated Committee under Rule 50), ECON
Source : © European Union, 2014 - EP