Evolving Landscape for Representative Actions

An EU directive has set the stage for broader, more harmonized legal redress for consumers across member states

Group actions—the Europe­an equivalent of U.S. class actions, which the EU calls “representative actions”— historically have met with limited success due to stiff legal and cultural opposition. This could change soon, however, in response to an EU directive intended both to broaden legal redress for consumers and harmo­nize requirements and procedures across member states.

The European Parliament approved EU Directive 2020/1828, known as “Rep­resentative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers,” late in 2020. The directive gave member states until December 2022 to incorpo­rate its mandates into their national laws, plus six months for implementation.

Read the complete article in the Litigation Forecast 2023.