Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE ECL4006

 
TITLE EU Consumer Law

 
UM LEVEL 04 - Years 4, 5 in Modular UG or PG Cert Course

 
MQF LEVEL 6

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT European and Comparative Law

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit will introduce students to the basic issues underlying the European Union’s consumer policy particularly the question of its legal basis pre and post Maastricht and Amsterdam and the debate concerning minimum v maximum harmonisation and the average consumer benchmark and then it focuses on particular aspects of consumer protection such as product liability and product safety, the need to strengthen market transparency through information requirements in the pre-contractual stage of transactions, the protection of consumers in the post-contractual stage through the cooling-off period and the right of cancellation, the protection of consumers against different forms of unfair commercial practices as well as the regulation of the substance of consumer transactions to protect the consumers’ economic interests through the prohibition of unfair contract terms. All this will be discussed against the background of the role that the European Court of Justice plays in the negative harmonisation of restrictive national consumer rules and the Commission’s recent efforts in revising the European Union’s consumer acquis.

Learning Outcomes:

Through this study-unit students will:
- learn about the issues underlying this policy;
- understand how the EU’s consumer policy impacts and shapes national policies;
- acquire an ability to analyse critically the relevant consumer acquis and test its adequacy in achieving a ‘high level of consumer protection’;
- gain an insight into the Court of Justice’s role in the interpretation of the consumer acquis and in striking the right balance between conflicting consumer interests.

Reading List:

- EU Consumer Law and Policy, Weatherill, 2005, Edward Elgar Publishing.
- EC Consumer Law, Howells and Wilhelmsson, Dartmouth/Ashgate.
- Understanding EU Consumer Law, Micklitz, Reich & Rott, 2009, Hart Publishing.

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES Students taking this study-unit need to have a background in law.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment SEM2 Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit