Just a short post on a great new source of information about the recent developments in consumer law of the EC, various European countries and beyond, including a contribution by yours truly on product liability and, guess what, some of my thoughts on maximum harmonisation!
The Yearbook of Consumer Law 2008 (Ashgate) is out now, and includes contributions by such greats of consumer law as Geraint Howells, Hans Micklitz and Christian Twigg-Flesner.
The volume has three parts – the first one is a collection of academic articles on various consumer law-related topics: from trying to make sense of European consumer law, predicting its future, unfair commercial practices, air passenger rights to class actions in New Zealand; second part is a collection of papers given at the Hull University Symposium on the Changing Face of European Consumer Law, and the third one is devoted to review of ‘current developments’. Check out Chapter 25 for my piece on the recent ECJ judgements in product liability cases and the ‘elusive goal of harmonisation of product liability law in Europe’. My point there is that the Product Liability Directive constitutes merely a starting point to a much more complex, comprehensive and wide-ranging process of legal harmonisation which may lead to the true harmonisation of product liability law in Europe. This process involves harmonisation of national contract laws, tort laws, criminal and business laws as well as civil procedures and judicial and legal cultures (now I am getting over-ambitious, but I guess a girl can dream on a Friday night…). The conclusion is that ‘maximum harmonisation’ is not something the ECJ can declare and then have it ‘up and running’. It is a goal and a process, it involves time and effort.
On this optimistic note, have a good weekend everyone.
