The European Parliament adopted by a large majority on Tuesday 26 March the legislative package on sales contracts. The co-rapporteur, Evelyn Gebhardt (S&D, Germany), compared the adoption process to a difficult birth of twins, interrupted by long contractions.
The package is structured around two separate texts: a directive on the provision of digital content and a directive on the sale of goods online and offline. These two texts, which were the subject of a provisional agreement with the Council of the EU at the end of January (see EUROPE 12182/2), harmonise the main contractual rights, such as the recourses available to consumers and the means of using them.
The duration of the legal guarantee is set at a minimum of 2 years in both texts, although Member States may introduce or retain a longer period for tangible property. The period for reversing the burden of proof is set at one year for both texts, while again allowing Member States to extend it to 2 years for the sale of goods. Goods containing an intelligent element, such as connected fridges, fall under the tangible goods component.
In the debate preceding the vote, the other rapporteur for digital content, Axel Voss (EPP, Germany), deplored the fact that Member States had tried to include in a text intended to contribute to the digital single market provisions of their own civil code. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)