EU Consumer Law and the Policy Paradox

EU consumer law, as such, does not exist – at least if by ‘EU consumer law’ we mean a homogeneous and coherent body of rules adopted by EU institutions. What exists, instead, is a multi-layered and fragmented framework of consumer law rules and remedies, in which national and EU legislators, courts, administrative authorities, scholars and consumer associations interact, cooperate and clash with one another. Notwithstanding this lack of consistency, there is a red thread that runs through the different patches of the EU consumer law. The aim of this paper is to present the main outlines of this law and to unveil a policy paradox, which is as salient as it is under-debated in the literature devoted to the field.