Representative Action Bill Initiated Before The D'il

• Jurisdiction: European Union
• Published date: 23 March 2023
• Subject Matter: Consumer Protection, Litigation, Mediation & Arbitration, Consumer Law, Arbitration & Dispute Resolution, Trials & Appeals & Compensation, Civil Law
• Law Firm: William Fry
• Author: Mr Paul Convery and Adele Hall
• topic: Business of Law,Civil Procedure,Consumer Law

In advance of the imminent application deadline of 25 June 2023, the Irish government has initiated the Representative Actions for the Protection of the Collective Interests of Consumers Bill (Bill) before the D'il. The Bill proposes to transpose the Representative Action Directive (EU 2020/1828) (Directive) into Irish law. The Directive was due to be transposed by 25 December 2022. Ireland failed to meet this deadline, and the European Commission recently announced that it was taking measures against those member states, including Ireland, who failed to notify national measures transposing the Directive. The Directive entered into force in December 2020 and takes effect from 25 June 2023.

The Irish government published the General Scheme of the Bill in March 2022, and pre-legislative scrutiny was completed in December 2022.

An Overview of the Bill

The substance of the Bill does not differ significantly from the General Scheme, detailed in our earlier...