The Necessity of a New Concept for the Further Development of the Consumer Law in the EU

German Law Journal

Volumn 4, Issue 10, 2003, Pages 1043-1064

  Micklitz, Hans W ^a  

^a NONE   (Germany)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

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EID: 48749104075     PISSN: None     EISSN: 20718322     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1017/S2071832200016631     Document Type: Article

References (92)

1. 1 ABl. C 92, 25.4.1975; ABl. C 133, 3.6.1981.
2. 2 Public Papers of the United States, John F. Kennedy, Containing the Public Messages, Speeches and Statements of the President, January 1 to December 31, 1962, 235-243.
3. 3 Rarely, there has been performed an analysis of the politics of the Commission, yet cf. Joerges, Zielsetzungen und Instrumentarien der europäischen Verbraucherrechtspolitik: eine Analyse von Entwicklungen im Bereich des Zivilrechts, ZVP 1979, 213; Krämer, ZVP 1979, 228 and a commentary referring thereto by Joerges, ZVP 1980, 57.
4. 4 First consumer programme (FN.2), 3.
5. 5 ABl. L. 11, 15.1.2002, 4.
6. 6 Micklitz, Social Justice in European Private Law, Yearbook of European Law 1999/2000, 167-204.
7. 7 ABl. L. 210, 7.8.198, 29 changed through Directive 99/34 ABl. L 414, 4.6.1999, 20.
8. 8 Reich, Verbraucherpolitik und Verbraucherschutz im Vertrag von Amsterdam, VuR 1999, 3 et seq.
9. th edition, to be published in 2003, §§ 28-30.
10. 10 Tonner, Die Rolle des Verbraucherrechts bei der Entwicklung eines europäischen Zivilrechts, JZ 1996, 533.
11. 11 The notification of the European Commission and the European Parliament on the European contract law COM (2001) 398, final 11.7.2001 has raised a debate on a large scale on the future of European private law.
12. 12 Schieble, Deutsches und Europäisches Produktsicherheitsrecht, forthcoming in 2003.
13. 13 Principles of European Contract Law, Part I and II, prepared by the Commission on European Contract Law, edited by Lando and Beale, 2000; Schulte-Noelke/Schulze in association with Bernardeau (ed.), Europäisches Vertragsrecht im Gemeinschaftsrecht, 2002.
14. 14 The harmless sounding invitation to tender, A call for tender Markt/2002/11/D – Comparison of the national laws implementing Directive 85/374 on liability for defective products with other existing liability systems, contains in its main feature an important instrument of legal policy which the ECJ has raised in its rulings regarding Art. 13 of Directive 85/374.
15. 15 Cf. Green Book on alternative dispute resolution regarding civil and commercial law (COM [2002] 196 final 19.4.2002).
16. 16 The reform of the German law of obligations constitutes a classic example. Yet, in the ongoing discussion the dogmatic integration of the new law of obligations plays a predominant role, beyond the Europeanization that went along with the integration of consumer law.
17. 17 Critical view Kötz, Abschied von der Rechtskreislehre, ZEuP 1998, 493.
18. 18 Helpful Teubner, Legal Irritants: Good Faith in British Law or How Unifying Law Ends up in New Divergences, 61 (1998) Modern Law Review 11.
19. 19 Osman (ed.), Vers un Code de la Consommation, 1998.
20. 20 Cf. Münch.Komm-Micklitz, introductory remarks §§ 13, 14 BGB.
21. nd edition, 2002.
22. 22 Consumer legislation in the EC Countries, Reich/Micklitz, Verbraucherschutz in den EG-Staaten, 1979; Fontaine/Bourgoignie, Consumer legislation in Denmark, 1981; Calais-Auloy et. al., Consumer legislation in France, 1981; Reich/Micklitz, Consumer legislation in Germany, 1980; Ghidini, Consumer legislation in Italy, 1980; Hondius, Consumer legislation in the Netherlands, 1980; Whincup, Consumer legislation in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, 1980.
23. 23 Whincup, Consumer legislation in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, 1980.
24. 24 Calais-Auloy, Le Droit de la Consommation en France, 1981.
25. 25 Reich/Tonner/Wegner, Verbraucher und Recht, 1976.
26. 26 Scherpe, Außergerichtliche Streitbeilegung in Verbrauchersachen, 2002.
27. 27 Cf. Joerges (FN.3).
28. 28 Contrary Legrand, European Legal Systems are not converging, (1996) 45 International Law Quarterly (ICLQ), 52; same author, Against a European Civil Code, (1997) 60 Modern Law Review (MLR), 44.
29. 29 Münch.Komm-Micklitz, introductory remarks §§ 13, 14 BGB, MN. 28, 29.
30. 30 ABl. L 172, 31.12.1985, 31.
31. 31 Thus Roth, Europäischer Verbraucherschutz und BGB, JZ 2001, 473 hit the bull’s-eye with his criticism.
32. 32 Europäisches Verbraucherrecht.
33. 33 ABl. L 158, 23.6.1990, 59.
34. 34 ABl. L 95, 21.4.1993, 29.
35. 35 ABl. L 280, 29.10.1994, 83.
36. 36 ABl. L. 144, 4.6.1997, 19.
37. 37 ABl. L 166, 11.6.1998, 51.
38. 38 ABl. L 171, 17.7.1999, 12.
39. 39 ABl. L 271, 9.10.2002, 16.
40. 40 Bürgerrechte in der Europäischen Union, 1999, S. 263.
41. 41 Rs. 186/87 Slg. 1989, 195.
42. 42 Rs. C-240-244/98 Slg. 2000, I-4941.
43. 43 Rs. C-96/00 Slg. 2002, I-nnv, = EuZW 2002, 539, MN. 58.
44. 44 Micklitz, Vertragschlussmodalitäten, in Micklitz/Pfeiffer/Tonner/Willingmann (eds.), Schuldrechtsreform und Verbraucherschutz, series of publications VIEW, Volume 9, 2001, 191 et seq.
45. 45 The notification of the Commission (FN 11) covers consumer contract directives as well as liability law.
46. 46 Cf. the entire spectrum of all contributions in Schulte-Noelke/Schulze (FN 14).
47. 47 ABl. C 22, 29.1.1977, 6.
48. 48 Rs. C-168/00 Leitner, Slg. 2002, I-nnv=EuZW 2002, 339.
49. 49 Survey in Tonner, 10 Jahre EG-Pauschalreise-Richtlinie – eine Bilanz, EWS 2000, 473.
50. 50 Reich, Die Vorlagepflicht auf teilharmonisierten Rechtsgebieten am Beispiel der Richtlinien zum Verbraucherschutz, RabelsZ 66 (2002), 531-552, speaks of a legal-political garage.
51. 51 Green Book on consumer protection COM (2001) 531 final 2.10.2001 as well as follow-up measures to the Green book on consumer protection COM (2002) 289 final 11/6.2002.
52. 52 European Commission, Notification to the European Parliament, the Council of the European Communities, Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, consumer-political strategy 2002-2006, 7.5.2002, COM (2002) 208 final.
53. 53 Rott/Butters, Öffentliche Versorgungsbedingungen und Vertragsgerechtigkeit im Lichte des Gemeinschaftsrechts, VuR 1999, 107.
54. 54 Micklitz, Keßler, Europäisches Lauterkeitsrecht, GRUR Int. 2002, 885 et seq.
55. 55 DG Wettbewerb ABl. L 203, 1.8.2002,30.
56. 56 Rs. C-453/99 Courage Slg. 2001, I-6297.
57. 57 Micklitz/Monazzahian/Rößler, Door-Door-Selling – Pyramid Selling – Multilevel-Marketing, A Study commissioned by the European Commission, Volume I and II, November 1999, accessible on the website of DG SANCO.
58. 58 Open call for Tender – Sanco/2002/B4/001 Comparative analysis of national liability systems for remedying damage caused by defective consumer services.
59. 59 Green Book COM (2002) 196 final 19.4.2002
60. 60 Stuyck, Patterns of Justice in the Constitutional Charter: minimum harmonization in the field of consumer law, Liber Amicorum Reich, Law and diffuse Interests in the European Legal Order 1997, 279; Wilhelmsson, Is There a European Consumer Law – and Should There be one, Centro di studi e richerche di diritto comparato e straniero, (41) 2000.
61. 61 Legrand, European Legal Systems are not converging, (1996) 45 International Law Quarterly (ICLQ), 52; same author, Against a European Civil Code, (1997) 60 Modern Law Review (MLR), 44.
62. 62 Rs. 382/87 Buet, Slg. 1989, 1235; Rs. C-169/00 Leitner, Slg. 2002, I-nnv=EuZW 2002, 339.
63. 63 Consumer Policy Strategy (2002-2006), ABl. C 137, 8.6.2002, 2.
64. 64 Proposal for a Directive on the Harmonization of consumer credit, COM (2002) 443 final, 11.9.2002.
65. 65 Consequences on the Green Book on consumer protection, COM (2002) 289, final 11.6.2002.
66. 66 Rs. 120/78 REWE Zentrale v. Monopolverwaltung für Branntwein, Slg. 1979, 649.
67. 67 The ECJ followed the restrictive reasoning of the Commission. Rs. C-52/00, Commission/France, Slg. 2002, I-nnv; Rs. C-154/00, Commission/Greece, Slg. 2002, I-nnv, Rs. C-183/00, Sánchez/Asturia, Slg. 2002, I-nnv=EuZW 2002, 574.
68. 68 The publishing of that project has been scheduled for the end of 2002.
69. 69 Schwintowski, Vertragsschluss für Waren und Dienstleistungen in Europäischen Verbraucherrecht: Form und Inhaltsbindungen kontra Privatautonomie, EWS 2001-2008.
70. 70 The history of EC Directive 97/5 cross-boarder credit transactions ABl. L 43, 14.2.1997 can be used as an illustrative example.
71. 71 Green Book COM (2002) 196, final 19.4.2002.
72. 72 Now COM (2002) 278 final, 5.6.2002 Suivi du Livre blanc sur la gouvernance européenne – Pour un usage mieux adapté des instruments.
73. 73 ABl. C 136, 4.6.1985, 1.
74. 74 ABl. C. 3, 5.2.1999, 4 Art. 23 in connection with Art. 22(1).
75. 75 Reich, Wie gesund ist der Gesundheitsschutz in der Gemeinschaft? Die Folgen des EuGH v. 5.10.2000 für das Gemeinschaftsrecht (forthcoming in the publication in honours of Gerd Winter 2003) sees the grounds in the failed combination of advertising ban and minimum harmonization.
76. 76 Weatherill, Justifying Limits to Party Autonomy in the Internal Market – EC Legislation in the Field of Consumer Protection, in: Grundmann/Kerber/Weatherill (eds.), Party Autonomy and the Role of Information in the Internal Market, 2001, 173.
77. 77 Rs. C-359/92, Slg. 1994, I-3681.
78. 78 So far there exists a working paper only.
79. 79 Notwithstanding, see Lenz, Unlauterer Wettbewerb und freier Warenverkehr in der Rechtsprechung des Europäischen Gerichtshofes, ZEuP 1994, 624; proving that the ECJ sporadically makes judgments.
80. 80 Micklitz, The New German Sales Law – Changing Patterns on the Regulation of Product Quality, Journal of Consumer Policy, 2002, 379.
81. 81 Rs. C-481/99, Heininger/Bayrische Hypo und Vereinsbank, Slg. 2001, I-9955.
82. 82 ABl. L 78, 17.7.2000, 1.
83. 83 Verordnungen über die Gruppenfreistellung von vertikalen Vertriebsbindungen im Kfz-Sektor, Nr. 1400/2002 ABl. L 203, 1.8.2002, 30.
84. 84 Bourgoignie, The Approximation Process of Consumer Law of Central and Eastern European Countries to EU Legislation: A Favourable Context but an Urgent Need for Clarification, in Micklitz (ed.) Rechtseinheit und Rechtsvielfalt in Europa, 1996, 91.
85. 85 Micklitz, Verbraucherschutz West versus Ost – Kompatibilisierungsmöglichkeiten in der Europäischen Gemeinschaft – Einige Vorüberlegungen, in: Heiss (ed.) Brückenschlag zwischen den Rechtskulturen des Ostseeraums, Mohr Siebeck, 2001, 37.
86. 86 Snyder, The Effectiveness of European Community Laws: Institutions, Processes, Tools, Techniques, MLR (56) 1993, 19.
87. 87 COM (2001) 428 final, 25.7.2001.
88. 88 Osman (ed.), Vers un Code de la Consommation, 1998.
89. 89 Micklitz/Pfeiffer/Tonner/Willingmann (eds.), Schuldrechtsreform und Verbraucherschutz, series of publications VIEW, volume 9, 2001.
90. nd edition, 2002.
91. 91 Micklitz/Monazzahian/Rößler, Door-Door-Selling – Pyramid Selling – Multilevel-Marketing, A Study commissioned by the European Commission, Volume I and II, November 1999, accessible on the website of DG SANCO.
92. 92 If at all, the ECJ would have to deal with the coherence of national social security law and European antitrust law.