Consumer sale of goods

Briefing 15-07-2019

The European Commission proposed a new directive on the consumer sale of goods in 2015, with the aim to lay down rules on online and other distance sales of goods. This was replaced on 31 October 2017 by an amended proposal, which sought to replace entirely the existing Consumer Sales Directive dating from 1999, and regulate contracts concluded both online and offline. The new directive was agreed in January 2019 after trilogue negotiations between Parliament and Council, and then adopted by the two institutions in March and April respectively. Signed in May 2019, it will allow Member States to decide on a legal guarantee of longer than two years and extend the period during which it is presumed that the goods were faulty from the start. It entered into force on 11 June 2019 and Member States have to apply it from 1 January 2022. Fifth edition, based on a briefing originally drafted by Rafał Mańko. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure. To view previous versions of this briefing, please see: PE 635.594 (March 2019).