Rethinking the Public Interest in Consumer Protection

Consumer protection directly influences the design of choice of law rules in the EU. Article 6 Rome I Regulation stipulates that the law of the consumer’s habitual place of residence applies, unless another law has been chosen. This choice may not deprive the consumer of certain rules of her “home law”, however. This likely requires a comparison of the involved laws, putting the foreseeability of the parties’ legal rights in jeopardy. Such comparison also raises issues for the public, as it decreases administrability (measured by the amount of work necessary to apply a conflict rule) and hence increases costs for the courts. Through comparative analysis between Article 6 Rome I and the latter’s different interpretations, this article investigates how consumer protection affects the administrability and foreseeability of choice of law rules. It is shown how simple changes to Article 6 Rome I could increase administrability and foreseeability for all involved stakeholders.