Contracts for online and other distance sales of goods

Briefing 15-02-2016

In December 2015, the Commission proposed a directive on contracts for online and other distance sales of goods (online sale of goods directive). This would partly replace the existing Consumer Sales Directive with regard to distance sales (both online and offline). Unlike the Consumer Sales Directive, the proposed online sale of goods directive would provide for maximum (total) harmonisation, thereby prohibiting Member States from introducing a higher level of consumer protection within the scope of the directive. A more recent edition of this document is available. Find it by searching by the document title at this address: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/home.html The proposed online sale of goods directive is part of the Digital Single Market Strategy, and comes alongside several other proposed legal instruments, notably the digital content supply directive [2015/0287(COD)] and the portability of digital content directive. Although, legally speaking, the proposal is new, in political terms it aims to replace the 2011 proposal for a Common European Sales Law, in line with the commitment made by the Juncker Commission in December 2015.