Informacje jako środek ochrony słabszej strony umowy w prawie wspólnotowym

Abstrakt

System ochrony konsumenta w prawie wspólnotowym oparty został na fundamentalnej zasadzie ochrony przez informację i kierowaną do niego ustawiczną edukację. Dobrze poinformowany konsument, przygotowany do recepcji komunikacji handlowej powinien dokonywać racjonalnych i suwerennych decyzji rynkowych, a więc odpowiedzialnie decydować o własnej konsumpcji. Podstawowy, aczkolwiek nie jedyny, motyw ochrony konsumenta we Wspólnocie wiąże się z jego zasadniczą rolą, jaką ma do odegrania na jednolitym wewnętrznym rynku w warunkach przewagi podaży nad popytem. Ochrona ekonomicznych interesów tej grupy uczestników rynku, zagwarantowanie im korzyści płynących z rozwoju gospodarki europejskiej ma niewątpliwie wymiar sprzyjający integracji, pozwala bowiem wiązać cele w zakresie osiągania wysokich standardów ochrony konsumenta z ochroną konkurencji uczciwej, lojalnej, faktycznie decydującej o normalnym niezakłóconym funkcjonowaniu wymiany transgranicznej.

Contract law attempts in various ways to regulate the information that contract ing parties exchange. Uninformed consumers do not know in advance their match values with firms, whereas informed consumers do, because being a well-informed consumer is best protection in today's marketplace. That means the weak contractual party becoming informed about purchases, understanding rights as a consumer, and practicing responsible management of private financial and personal information. European consumer policy increasingly places emphasis on the role of information in allowing consumers to protect themselves and consequently promoting a competitive economy. Increasing the transparency information available to consumers is de lege lata undoubtedly beneficial. Although the solution may be relaxed enforcement of the regulatory framework and self-regulation to avoid over-regulation and hindrances to the technological development by codes of conduct. It is not at all certain that this will contribute to consumer protection and confidence. However, certainty may be ensured by at least accepting that consumers will have the possibility of choosing the preferred way of accessing the required information, to the more general principle of good-faith in contractual relationships, which should hinder the party from hiding relevant information. The article examines the merit of the test of the average consumer as a basis for judicial and regulatory action. The average consumer may be described as an inter esting, anti- paternalistic view based on his sovereignty and, to some extent, useful notion because of asymmetry in the allocation of information. It is, on the other hand, an overly one-dimensional concept with little correspondence with the real world of individual consumer behaviour (behavioural decision theory offer a more realistic view) and should be reinterpreted more flexibly, or even abandoned to mirror the weak contractual party behaviour more effectively. Therefore to be assessed taking account of the presumed expectation of the average consumer, who is reasonably well informed and reasonably observant and circumspect. In the light of directive 2005/29 commercial practices which are likely to materially distort the economic behaviour only of a clearly identifiable group of consumers who are particularly vulnerable to the practice or the underlying product because of their mental or physical infirmity, age or credulity in a way which the trader could reasonably be expected to foresee, shall be assessed from the perspective of the average member of that group. In the 2007 Green Book concerning the overview of consumer acquis commun autaire, the Commission presented alternative proposals. The standard of consumer protection is determined not only by the provisions of the substantive law, but to an equal degree also the procedures, functional and institutional dimension of the legis lation, promulgation of new solutions. In system european law is taken commercial information into account widely as a commercial communications. The term com mercial communications covers all forms of advertising, direct marketing, sponsor ship, sales promotions and public relations promoting products and services. Clear statements, on the other hand, have to be present not only during the formulation of the contract, but also in a pre-contractual phase. The contract should be governed only by conditions which are well-known to both of parties, and the entrepreneur should be subjected to a "duty of information towards the weak party, with the consequent burden of proving his diligence. As the information society evolves, new forms of commercial communications will undoubtedly assume greater importance in this field.