Commission Guidance on the interpretation and application of Council Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms in consumer contracts

The purpose of Directive 93/13/ECC is to protect consumers against unfair terms in all types of business-to-consumer contracts and to achieve fairness in the Internal Market.

The purpose of this Guidance is to facilitate the effective application of the Directive and to present, in a structured way, the interpretation that the Court of Justice of the European Union has provided on the key concepts and provisions of the UCTD in light of specific cases dealt with by the courts of the Member States.

The Guidance also aims at increasing awareness of the Directive and the relevant case law amongst all interested parties, such as consumers, businesses, and the authorities of the Member States, including national courts and legal practitioners, across the EU, and, thereby, facilitate its application in practice.

The Guidance takes into account rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union published until 31 May 2019 and cannot prejudge further developments of the Court's case law. The training material addresses justice professionals in all EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The training material is accessible in all official EU languages.