Remedies for Lack of Conformity of the Goods in the Consumer Law of the European Union
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56461/rep250123.04.VKeywords:
remedies for lack of conformity of the goods; repair or replacement of the goods; price reduction or termination of the sales contract; consumer protection; law of the European UnionAbstract
In order to increase legal certainty and remove one of the main obstacles to the proper functioning of the internal market of the European Union (EU), the Sale of Goods Directive fully harmonizes the rules on remedies for lack of conformity. The two-level solution from the previous Consumer Sales Directive was retained and the relevant practice of the European Court of Justice was codified. A clear inclination towards the fulfillment of the contract is shown (pacta sunt servanda, in favor contractus). Repair and replacement of the goods are available to the consumer first, and only in the second phase, a proportional price reduction and termination of the contract. Unlike the previous legal regime, the sequence of remedies, which can be seen as the main means of balancing the interests of the seller and the consumer in case of non-conformity of goods, is now mandatory. This means that national laws which did not foresee a hierarchy of remedies, but a free choice of consumers, will have a lower level of protection, in this matter, after the implementation of the new directive. This problem is partially mitigated by the possibility of Member States to allow consumers to choose a specific remedy if the lack of conformity of the goods becomes apparent shortly after delivery, within a period not exceeding 30 days, e.g., to terminate the contract immediately. The transition from primary to secondary legal remedies is also facilitated by foreseeing more cases in which the consumer can exercise them.
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