Protect consumers from flawed and broken products

Today, the European Parliament finally adopted new measures to better protect consumers from harm caused by defective products. “This is a great success for the EPP Group. With the revised Product Liability Directive, we are enabling injured persons throughout Europe to claim compensation for harm caused by defective products,” said Pascal Arimont MEP, who negotiated the law in the Legal Affairs Committee.

“By easing the burden of proof and allowing for collective redress, the new law will make it easier for consumers to access compensation. However, given the strict liability regime already in place, the burden of proof on the economic operator had to be limited to a reasonable extent," added Andreas Schwab MEP, co-negotiator for the EPP Group in the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee.

The political agreement reached in December, which has now been adopted in plenary, ensures that companies must have an EU-based business that can be held liable for injuries - even if the product was not bought in the EU. “Software, apps and AI will also be included within the scope of the law, where economic operators will be held liable for injuries caused by defects in their products. This adaptation to digitalisation, but also to the circular economy and global value chains, makes the new legal framework future-proof,” stated Arimont.

The revised law provides certain protections for start-ups operating in the digital sector, ultimately allowing them to continue to innovate. “We are striking a careful balance between the needs of victims injured by defective products and the legal certainty economic operators deserve in today's rapidly changing markets,” Arimont concluded.