《Green Paper consultation_questionaire_en》.pdf

EN EN EN EUROPEAN COMMISSION Brussels, 1.7.2010 COM(2010)348 final GREEN PAPER FROM THE COMMISSION on policy options for progress towards a European Contract Law for consumers and businesses EN EN GREEN PAPER FROM THE COMMISSION on policy options for progress towards a European Contract Law for consumers and businesses 1. PURPOSE OF THE GREEN PAPER The internal market is built on a multitude of contracts governed by different national contract laws. Yet, differences between national contract laws may entail additional transaction costs and legal uncertainty for businesses and lead to a lack of consumer confidence in the internal market. Divergences in contract law rules may require businesses to adapt their contractual terms. Furthermore, national laws are rarely available in other European languages, which imply that market actors need to take advice from a lawyer who knows the laws of the legal system that they are proposing to choose. Partly for these reasons, consumers and businesses, in particular small and medium enterprises (SMEs) having limited resources, may be reluctant to engage in cross-border transactions. This reluctance would in turn hinder cross-border competition to the detriment of societal welfare. Consumers and busine