EU: Consumer Guarantees

The UK government, currently holding the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, has indicated that the EU draft Directive on consumer guarantees will have a high priority in its programme for the next six months. Jim Murray, President of BEUC, has met UK consumer affairs minister Nigel Griffiths and later expressed his disappointment that the UK Presidency will not act to turn the Maastricht and Amsterdam political commitments on the importance of consumer protection and consumer rights into legislative action as a priority. The directive would harmonise at a minimum level consumers’ rights when they buy goods which are faulty or which otherwise fail to be as specified in the contract. The seller will be liable for a fault appearing within two years, if it was present at the time of sale. When a fault emerges, the consumer will be able to ask the seller to either repair the goods free of charge, or replace the goods, or give a price reduction, or rescind the contract.