Public Consultation on the rules on liability of the producer for damage caused by a defective product

Evaluation of Council Directive 85/374/EEC on the liability for defective products.

The aim of this public consultation is to collect stakeholders’ feedback on the application and performance of the Directive on liability for defective products. In particular:

• whether and to what extent the Directive meets its objectives of guaranteeing at EU level the liability without fault of the producer for damage caused by a defective product
• whether it still corresponds to stakeholders’ needs
• if the Directive is fit-for-purpose vis-à-vis new technological developments such as the Internet of Things and autonomous systems

The results of the public consultation will provide evidence to assess the extent to which the provisions of the Directive have been effective and efficient, relevant (given the needs and its objectives), coherent (with other EU policies) and whether they have achieved EU added-value.

The consultation consists of 3 online questionnaires addressed to producers, consumers and public authorities respectively. The questionnaire is available in English and 22 other official EU languages. With this consultation, the Commission will seek the views of all interested parties, and in particular of producers and insurers, business representatives, consumers, as well as public authorities and researchers.

The consultation will run until April 26, 2017.

Click here for more information and how to submit your response.

You may find here an interview guide for Consumer Associations on Defective Product Liability