Title: Does harmonisation go far enough? The E-Commerce Directive 2000/31/EC: implementation and sanctions

Authors: Annette Nordhausen

Addresses: School of Law, University of Sheffield, UK

Abstract: The E-Commerce Directive 2000/31/EC sets out principles and duties to reach a high standard of consumer protection. These mechanisms ensure that the consumer is generally well informed and gets the same standard of protection everywhere in the European Union. The member states have taken measures to ensure effective implementation and application of the duties arising from the directives in practice, and they also introduce or apply sanctions. As these sanctions are basically grounded on the national laws of the member states, they differ significantly. Although the member states took the necessary steps for implementation of the directive, the practical implementation is still very incomplete and requires more effort.

Keywords: e-commerce directive; electronic commerce; harmonisation; redress; consumer protection; implementation; EU directives; European Union; sanctions.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSE.2007.014585

International Journal of Liability and Scientific Enquiry, 2007 Vol.1 No.1/2, pp.114 - 128

Published online: 17 Jul 2007 *

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