Contracts for the supply of digital content and for the online and other distance sales of goods: Initial Appraisal of a European Commission Impact Assessment

Briefing 17-02-2016

This note seeks to provide an initial analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the European Commission's Impact Assessment (IA) accompanying the above two Commission proposals (the proposals), submitted on 9 December 2015 and referred to Parliament’s Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection. In 2011 the Commission published a proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a Common European Sales Law (CESL). The European Parliament adopted its first reading legislative resolution on the proposal in February 2014, proposing substantial amendments. It did not receive Council's backing, however. In its Work Programme for 2015, the Commission stated that it would be modifying the CESL proposal and the two proposals under examination are the result of that process. The 2015 Work Programme had announced that the Commission was preparing a strategy to identify and tackle the major challenges towards a digital single market, undertaking, amongst other things, to simplify the rules for consumers making online and digital purchases and to facilitate e-commerce. Please click here for the full publication in PDF format