Background

Triggered by recent mass-harm scandals with cross-border implications, notably Dieselgate, the truck cartel, misleading financial information and others, the EU legislator has become ;
After many years of negotiation, Directive (EU) 2020/1828 of 25 November 2020 on representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers (RAD) entered into force on 24 December 2020.

This Directive allows qualified entities to seek remedy against trader violations in areas such as financial and investment services, data protection, travel and tourism, energy, telecommunications, environment, digital services and health.

Objective

This online conference will serve as a platform for discussing the key issues when implementing this new />  

This conference will:

• give an in-depth analysis of the EU Directive on representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers
• discuss the different options of implementation in the Member States
• present the legal requirements for qualified entities and their information duties
• focus on key issues like the conditions for qualified entities, both for domestic and cross-border cases, injunctive and redress measures, opt-in and opt-out, financing and third-party funding, evidence, remedies, and effects of the decision
• explain the recent CJEU case law on mass claims
• show the interplay of EU Regulations (Brussels Ibis, Rome II) and the Representative Actions Directive
• raise a discussion on parallel actions in mass claims, lis pendens and forum shopping

Who should attend?

Legal practitioners specialised in the field of consumer law and policy; litigators who lead mass damage cases involving consumers, data protection or shareholders’ claims; representatives of business and consumer organisations; judges; ministry officials; academics.

Interactive online conference

The conference will be hosted on the Zoom videoconferencing platform. The highest security settings will be applied. You will be able to interact immediately and directly with our top-level speakers and other participants. We will make the most of the technical tools available to deliver an intensive, interactive experience.

Speakers

Burkhard Hess, Director of the Max Planck Institute Luxembourg for International, European and Regulatory Procedural Law
Georg E. Kodek, Judge at the Austrian Supreme Court; Professor at the Vienna University of Economics and Business
Alexander Layton QC, Barrister, Twenty Essex; Visiting Professor at King’s College, London Augusta Maciuleviciute, Senior Legal Officer, Team Leader, The European Consumer Organisation – BEUC, Brussels
Ursula Pachl, Deputy Director, The European Consumer Organisation – BEUC, Brussels
Alexia Pato, Postdoc Research Fellow, McGill University, Montreal
Marta Pertegás Sender, Part-time Professor at Maastricht University and the University of Antwerp Blanca Rodriguez Galindo, Head of Unit, Consumer and Marketing Law, DG Justice and Consumers, European Commission, Brussels
Christopher Rother, Managing Director, Profin Prozessfinanzierung GmbH, Mannheim
Henrik Saugmandsgaard Øe, Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Union, Luxembourg
John Sorabji, Barrister, 9 St John Street, Manchester Astrid Stadler, Professor at the University of Constance
Magdalena Tulibacka, Lecturer in Law, Emory Law School, Atlanta
Ianika Tzankova, Professor at Tilburg University; Partner, Birkway, Amsterdam
Paulien van der Grinten, Senior Legislative Lawyer, Ministry of Justice and Security, Legislative Department, The Hague
Cathalijne van der Plas, Partner, JahaeRaymakers; Assistant Professor at the University of Amsterdam
Stefaan Voet, Associate Professor at KU Leuven; Substitute Justice of the Peace, Bruges
Flip Wijers, Partner, Lemstra Van der Korst, Amsterdam