The European Commission intends this month to launch a public consultation on collective redress, running until the end of February 2011 and accompanied by a public hearing in January 2011, the results of which should form the basis for suggestions on the way forward and possibly a legislative proposal.While any system of collective redress is in danger of falling prey to abusive litigation, as sometimes seen in the United States, the Commission considers this risk to be manageable as long as effective safeguards are put in place.This lunchtime briefing will present the Commission‘s position on the subject and seek answers to the following questions:What would such safeguards look like? Would collective redress mechanisms really improve access to justice? How would rules on locus standi need to be defined? In what way would businesses be affected?  Speakers:Sebastian Bohr, Redress and Financial Services, DG Health and Consumers, European CommissionAugusta Maciuleviciute, Legal Officer, BEUC (The European Consumers‘ Organisation)Pedro Oliveira, Adviser, Legal Affairs, BusinessEurope (The Confederation of European Business)