Vote on the representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers: extracts from the vote on the report by Geoffroy DIDIER (EPP, FR) during a meeting of the EP Committee on Legal Affairs

Brussels

meeting

vote

Committee on Legal Affairs

consumers' protection (T)

SVOBODA, Pavel (EPP, CZ)

DIDIER, Geoffroy (EPP, FR)

Representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers: extracts from the vote on the report by Geoffroy DIDIER (EPP, FR) - statement by the Rapporteur

Arrival of Rapporteur Geoffroy DIDIER (EPP, FR), atmosphere shots

Chair of the JURI Committee Pavel SVOBODA opens the vote on the report by Mr DIDIER on representative actions. 

Atmosphere shots during the voting session at the EP JURI Committee (7 shots)

Vote on the report as a whole. Cutaways on rapporteur. Result: 19 votes in favour, 0 against and 3 abstentions.

SOUNDBITE (French), Geoffroy DIDIER (EPP, FR), Rapporteur, <p>The Dieselgate scandal has been a game changer. It has changed the situation in Europe. This called for a much better protection system for European consumers who should be able to get together when they are victims of big companies , to associate, to carry out collective actions, i.e. group actions. Thanks to this vote in the Legal Affairs Committee, we will be able to take this first decisive step in favour of consumers, by allowing them to take collective action to protect their rights better and have their damages repaired. When this text is implemented, all European consumers will be better protected, and I believe that this is a striking demonstration that the European Union can serve as a shield for European citizens. So it is a first step and obviously now I will also work to build a majority on the whole of the European Parliament with the hope of having this directive adopted in the plenary session in early 2019.</p>

<p>SOUNDBITE (French), Geoffroy DIDIER (EPP, FR), Rapporteur, In the European Union we have worked to protect European consumers better, while preserving the business economy. That said, we have to set up boundaries that will allow us to avoid drifts of 'class actions' like in the US. For example, we have prohibited certain specialised firms from replacing themselves for consumer associations, which, as is often the case in the United States, would have enabled companies to mount and foment false collective actions for the sole purpose to destabilise a competitor. That is not possible, and therefore we have put in place all the necessary conditions that will make sure that European consumers will be protected better and the legal security of companies will be equally preserved. One does not go against the other. We felt that one was necessarily going along with the other. So the collective actions that we are going to set up in the European Union are ultimately much more protective for consumers, but also for companies than what happens in the United States with 'class actions' and their many drifts.</p>