Abstract:
The story of cross-border collective redress in the EU is a story of confusion and missed
opportunities: on the one hand, collective redress mechanisms are heterogeneous and
often lack efficiency. On the other hand, studies show that important obstacles refrain
cross-border litigation, such as the costs of proceedings and language differences.
Although the European institutions have attempted to regulate collective redress, the
persistent lack of political consensus has delayed the enactment of a binding legislative
act.
In light of the above, the present research project offers a theoretical framework for the
analysis of cross-border collective redress actions in the EU. Its goal is to offer an
appropriate forum, which facilitates the start of those actions.
This thesis is divided into two parts: the first one describes and analyses the structural and
procedural aspects of collective redress mechanisms adopted by EU Member States. The
second part then deals with jurisdictional questions generated by cross-border collective
redress actions. The last Chapter of this work suggests the creation of a specific forum
for collective redress through the reform of the European private international law rules
on jurisdiction.