Consumers throughout the European Union will soon be given greater opportunities to defend their rights collectively, by being represented in court by qualified entities, when companies commit the same breach of EU law against them, such as the German car manufacturer Volkswagen in the Dieselgate scandal.
On Tuesday 30 June, member states' Ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) approved the political agreement reached a week earlier between the Croatian Presidency of the Council and the European Parliament on a draft directive on representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers (see EUROPE 12512/2).
"The single market (is) supposed to bring added value to consumers throughout the EU in the form of better quality products, greater variety, reasonable prices and high safety standards. The new rules will enable them to collectively seek effective judicial protection when traders' infringements of EU legislation deprive them of their rights," commented the Croatian Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Craft industry in a statement on the last day of the Croatian Presidency of the EU Council.
The directive will cover, inter alia, air and rail passenger rights, tourism, health services, financial services, energy, data protection and product liability laws.
Formal approval by the EU Council, at first reading, will not, however, take place until at least September. It will then be up to the European Parliament to approve the EU Council's position at second reading.
Member States will have 24 months from the entry into force of the Directive to transpose it into national law and a further 6 months to start applying these provisions.
The Directive will apply to actions in representation brought from the date of its application.
To read the text of the agreement: https://bit.ly/2BWMMR9 (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)