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ARTICLE · 18 JUNE 2019

French Class Actions At A Glance And Their Prospects For Development

Jones Day
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Since its introduction into French law in 2014, the class action à la française (action de groupe) has not met the legislator's expectations for the settlement of consumer disputes.

FranceLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Jones Day
Jones Day
Ignacio Santabaya
Ignacio Santabaya
Sébastien Champagne
Sébastien Champagne
Nicholas Cotter
Nicholas Cotter
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The Situation: After a lukewarm start since their introduction in 2014, class actions in France have gradually seen their field broaden. Still, while the regime of class action is already quite comprehensive in France compared to other EU Member States, it has not yet gained significant traction in the French litigation landscape.

Developments: A Proposal for a Directive on representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers has been issued by the European Commission in April 2018, which was approved by the European Parliament in March 2019. The proposed changes do not appear as fundamental in France as they might be in other Member States, since French class actions already allow consumers to seek monetary damages.

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