Control of Price Related Terms in Standard Form Contracts in the European Union: The Innovative Role of the CJEU’s Case-Law

  1. Cámara Lapuente, Sergio 1
  1. 1 Universidad de La Rioja
    info

    Universidad de La Rioja

    Logroño, España

    ROR https://ror.org/0553yr311

Libro:
Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law

Editorial: Springer

ISSN: 2214-6881 2214-689X

ISBN: 978-3-030-23057-9 978-3-030-23056-2

Año de publicación: 2019

Páginas: 67-101

Tipo: Capítulo de Libro

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-23057-9_2 WoS: WOS:000582699100002 GOOGLE SCHOLAR

Resumen

The starting-point of this paper is an analysis of the regulatory framework provided by Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair contract terms regarding price-related terms, distinguishing between aspects that it regulates and those that it leaves out of its scope of application. I then examine the central role the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has played in the development of certain concepts related to the transparency principle as applied to contract prices (what it is, what it affects, how it should be applied, what terms are exempt, and the consequences of a lack of transparency). The Court has put forward autonomous and innovative interpretations of what it considers the main subject matter of a contract and the nature of the assessment of transparency (which goes beyond a mere grammatical or formal understanding); it has identified its basis in the trader’s duty of information; it has adopted an objective standard of the average consumer for assessment of the intelligibility of a term; and it has clarified the nature and consequences of the ineffectiveness which results from a lack of transparency of a term. Nonetheless, the CJEU may have exceeded its own powers of interpretation by treating the assessment of transparency as a particular case of unfairness, as Directive 93/13/EEC does not establish any consequence of non-compliance with the duty for plain intelligible language, other than requiring the interpretation most favourable to the consumer. Finally, this paper considers future issues, which are likely to arise in this area, which the CJEU will have to face and aspects of its existing case-law that it should refine, and it puts forward a critical approach to the scheme of controls designed by the Directive.

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