On 15 March 2005 the European Commission adopted a proposal for a Regulation establishing a European Small Claims Procedure. The aim of the proposal is to simplify, speed up and reduce the costs of litigation concerning small claims by establishing a European Small Claims Procedure. The new procedure will be available to litigants as an alternative to the procedures existing under the laws of the Member States. For the first time, citizens and businesses will have a speedy and affordable civil procedure at their disposal which is uniform in all Member States and in all procedural steps from the commencement of the procedure to the enforcement of the judgment. This Article lays out the main features of the Commission proposal.
European Review of Private Law