Collective Redress in the Field of European Consumer Law

Abstract:

Collective redress procedures play an increasingly important role in the resolution of consumer to business disputes in Europe. With the enlargement of the European market and growing cross-border purchases, multiple consumers are more often harmed by the same illegal practice of a business. As a result, compensatory collective redress mechanisms have been established in certain Member States to facilitate consumer redress. At a more general level, the European Commission adopted a 2013 Recommendation on common principles for collective redress mechanisms in the Member States.

This article analyses existing collective redress measures and examines the potential impact that the new Recommendation may have on consumer protection. It will be argued that while this new measure provides Member States with some guidance on how to establish collective redress procedures, its practical influence in improving effective dispute resolution for consumers may remain limited.