Failure by Design?

The book provides the first comprehensive critique of the EU’s governance of informal debt collection. It traces the evolution from historical self-help to modern privatized enforcement, showing how regulatory gaps have allowed abusive practices to persist across member states. Combining doctrinal analysis of EU directives and CJEU case law with empirical evidence, the book argues that due to strong financial lobby EU regulation has favoured market efficiency and creditor interests over consumer protection, exposing millions to financial and psychological harm. Based in Copenhagen, Catalin Gabriel Stanescu has researched debt collection for over fifteen years on five continents, building global expertise in consumer financial protection.