Harmonization of Consumer Law in the European Union in the Digital Age: an Analysis of the Impact of Directives (EU) 2019/2161, 2019/770 and 2019/771 of the European Parliament and the Council on Consumer Protection and Their Implementation in Poland

Abstract

The protection of consumer rights has been unified and extended at the EU level by the adoption of a directive of 27 November 2019 amending Council Directive 93/13/EEC andDirectives 98/6/EC, 2005/29/EC, and 2011/83/EU with regard to better enforcement and modernization of EU consumer protection rules. This activity of the European Commission, known as the Omnibus Directive, is a type of strategy involving the introduction of changes in various legal instruments of the European Union through a single comprehensive legal act. As this is a directive, its effectiveness requires implementation into national legislation. In the Polish legal system, the directive has been implemented through two acts amending the Consumer Rights Act, the Civil Code, and the Private International Law Act, and these amendments came into force on 1 January 2023. The purpose of this article is to analyse the changes introduced by the Omnibus Directive, Directive 2019/770 and Directive 2019/771, their impact on consumer protection in the European Union and to discuss the implementation of these directives’ provisions into the Polish legal order.