March happenings

On 6 March, the report on the BIS consultation on implementing the consumer rights directive was published.

The deadline for implementing the late payments directive is 16 March. Legislation has already been passed and will come into effect on the day.

The end of March sees the conclusion of the Law Commissions' consultation on unfair terms and the definition of "exempt term" in consumer contracts, and its report and recommendations to government. The government will respond by the end of May. The result will feed into the Consumer Rights Bill, the government's flagship consumer protection measure.

Consultation on consumer rights directive

The government has held a consultation on the Consumer Rights Directive, which has to be implemented in the next couple of years. The Directive demands important changes to the rules on distance contracts, including the information that must be given, cancellation rights, and performance. The official EU press release (from last year, when the directive was adopted) is here and the BIS page on the directive (including a link to the consultation documents) is here.

Consumer rights directive adopted

The Consumer Rights Directive was described in the latest edition of the newsletter, so I won't repeat it all here - but I will tell you that it has now been formally adopted and Member States have two years in which to implement it. You can read it here if you can stand the excitement.