Europäische Kollektivklage

The European legislator has been involved in the introduction of collective actions for a number of years. All previous initiatives have been eyed critically at times, as an emergence of American circumstances was feared to follow the introduction of such procedures. Nevertheless, in 2013 the European Commission presented a package of measures to harmonise collective compensation claims. But has the time for European collective action really come?
As part of the analysis, the author concludes that a European collective redress mechanism is currently not feasible, but that it could be useful in the course of the harmonisation of European law. Against this background, a coherent European framework of reference for collective redress mechanisms has been drawn up to adjust the procedural structure of collective action and to create a balance of interests between the consumer and the economic side.