Public supply of optional standardized consumer contracts: A rationale for the Common European Sales Law? - Common Market Law Review View Public supply of optional standardized consumer contracts: A rationale for the Common European Sales Law? by Thomas Ackermann - Common Market Law Review Public supply of optional standardized consumer contracts: A rationale for the Common European Sales Law? Thomas Ackermann 50 Special

Byreadingthe B2C partofthe Common European Sales Law (CESL) as a supplyof optional standardizedcontracts, thisarticletriestogivetheCommission'sproposalthebestpossible rationale. In contrasttoconventionalcontractcodescharacterizedbyloosebundlesofdefaultrulesthepartiesmayselectively stick toordivergefrom, an optional standardizedcontractis a tightbundleofdefaultruleswith a nameattachedto it. As optional standardizedcontractsaresimplyidentifiablebytheirlabel, theycantheoreticallysolvetheproblemofreadingcostsandthusavoidadverseselection. This ideahelpstomake sense ofthe rigid internalstructureofthe CESL thatgenerallyexcludescherry-picking. Fromthisperspective, itis also unobjectionableforthe CESL toaimat an upscalesegmentofconsumersbyoffering a high levelofprotection (leadingtocorrespondingly high prices). However, welfare-increasingeffectscanonlybeexpectedif Member States, third States and private organizationsareallowedtojointhecompetitionbyprovidingotherstandardizedcontracts. As theregulatoryframeworkcreatedbythe EU (choice-of-lawrestrictionforconsumercontractsandsubstantiveharmonizationof Member State laws) ties down all potential competitors, theseeffectswill not materialize. This leadstotheconclusionthattheCommissionis not seriouslypursuingtheideaof an optional law, but ultimatelymeanstopre-empt Member States' lawswithitsproposal.

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