EU Consumer Law and Policy

Acclaim for the first edition:

''Steve Weatherill provides an excellent thought-provoking account of EU consumer law and policy. It will be required reading for all those interested in this important subject.''
- Paul Craig, St John''s College, Oxford, UK

''This is a characteristically excellent book by Steve Weatherill, combining incisive legal analysis of an important policy field with an authoritative and up-to-date account of the underlying legal and constitutional framework.''
- Grainne de Burca, European University Institute, Italy

This new edition of Stephen Weatherill''s acclaimed book provides a comprehensive introduction to all facets of the EU''s involvement in consumer law and policy.

Consumers are expected to benefit from the EU''s project of economic integration, enjoying wider choice and improved quality, and yet they need protection from the dangers that flow from malfunctioning and unfair markets. The EU''s consumer law and policy is an attempt to have the best of both worlds - a liberalized yet properly regulated trading space for Europe.

This highly esteemed book, now in a brand new edition, provides a comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the subject, explaining the evolution of consumer law and policy in the EU in terms of both legislative and judicial activity. The book also situates EU consumer law and policy within its broader social, political and economic context, providing a window to a range of wider issues (and tensions) relating to Union regulatory strategies and their effect on the member states. It concludes with a newly written examination of the relationship between EU and national initiatives of market regulation - symbiosis or disruption?

A readable yet critically sound textbook, this fully updated edition will be indispensable for both postgraduate and undergraduate students of EU law. It will also appeal strongly to all academics, regulators and practicing lawyers with an interest in EU trade law or indeed European law more generally.

Contents: 1. The Evolution of Consumer Policy in the European Union 2. Negative Law and Market Integration 3. The Law and Practice of Harmonisation 4. Market Transparency and Consumer Protection 5. Regulating the Substance of Consumer Transactions 6. Product Liability 7. European Private Law 8. Advertising and Marketing Law 9. Product Safety Regulation 10. Access to Justice 11. Conclusion: The Challenges of EU Consumer Law Index