New EU Common Sales Law seeks to boost eCommerce

The EU Commission has recently presented a draft regulation with the purpose of creating a standard sales regime across the European Union. The new draft regulation, referred to as the ‘Common Sales Regulation’ seeks to harmonise laws of sale within the EU so as to do away with private international law issues which often crop up whenever such cross border sales occur. Such a law would effectively reduce the legal costs to businesses and consumers as there would be no more legal issues to be dealt with insofar as cross-border legal differences are concerned. This would be of great benefit to Maltese citizens who were recently rated as the nation where people avail themselves the most of online shops.

The EU Commission has asserted that a common sales policy would bolster cross-border trade by alleviating any fears or uncertainties that consumers and businesses may have in regard to eCommerce with respect to the EU bloc. One of the most notable changes in the proposed regulation is a higher level of protection afforded to consumers by not only extending new remedies to consumers for cancellation of contracts of sale (returns), but also giving the consumer absolute choice as to which remedy to avail themselves of.

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