Last November, as the deadline for transposing the Directive was getting closer, DECO made a public statement to the Government on the Directive on Class Actions, where the Portuguese Association for Consumer’s Protection shared their concerns. However, nothing was done and the directive wasn’t even transposed to the country law.

"Although Portugal benefited for many years from a similar and even more extensive system, the transposition of the directive will change the reality from a European perspective, as this was not the case in most European countries," DECO said.

This directive will soon make it easier for European consumers in general to seek justice and compensation for the damage they have suffered. In Portugal, the actual compensation that consumers will receive will depend on a wide range of choices that the government may make.

In this regard, DECO had already sent letters to the Minister of Justice and to the former Secretary of State for Tourism, Commerce and Services, alerting them to the need to take the right decisions. However, no draft transposition bill is yet known, even though the deadline for transposing the Directive has passed.

The Directive is limited to a set of issues which does not include areas such as the environment, climate justice or housing. However, DECO reminds us that Member States are free to increase the scope of application of this Directive. In this sense, the Consumers' Association agrees with extending the scope of application as far as possible.

Author

Paula Martins is a fully qualified journalist, who finds writing a means of self-expression. She studied Journalism and Communication at University of Coimbra and recently Law in the Algarve. Press card: 8252

Paula Martins