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

Abstract

The above question was raised by Ewoud Hondius a few years ago in his regularly held lectures on the state of consumer law in Europe at the University of Utrecht. The European consumer programme in its basic structure dates from the years 1975 respectively 1981. It is rooted in President Kennedy's message to the consumers from the year 1962. Substantial variations cannot be recognised regarding both consumer programmes. Notifications, programmatic declarations and new impulses adopted after 1981 – the titles of the messages were changing constantly – did not alter the fundamental statement of the original programme. If President Kennedy's message is proceeded from, then it could be formulated, with some exaggeration, that European consumer law in its fundamental ideas is 40 years old.