1. Prof. Dr. Hans Schulte-Nölke, European Legal Studies Institute Osnabrück The example of the European Union: OPTIONS FOR A LESS COMPLEX AND MORE COHERENT EUROPEAN CONSUMER AND E-COMMERCE CONTRACT LAW Vienna, 29 March 2010

2. Prof. Dr. Hans Schulte-Nölke, European Legal Studies Institute Osnabrück Current Situation within the EU Differences between the regulatory frameworks for e-commerce, in particular consumer protection rules, impede cross-border e- commerce Test case: E-shop that can be run continent-wide (if not worldwide) with the same business strategy, the same set of information as well as the same order and complaint handling procedures Result of test: E-shops, irrespective whether based within or outside the EU, have to comply with 27 deviating national sets of consumer protection rules

3. Prof. Dr. Hans Schulte-Nölke, European Legal Studies Institute Osnabrück Main options: Continuation of the piece by piece enactment of individual directives Halt or even reduction of EU legislation Principle of origin combined with mutual recognition European consumer or civil code general framework directive on (consumer?) contract law Optional instrument for (consumer?) contracts and e- commerce: The ‘Blue Button’

4. Prof. Dr. Hans Schulte-Nölke, European Legal Studies Institute Osnabrück The “Blue Button” Sale under EU Law

5. Prof. Dr. Hans Schulte-Nölke, European Legal Studies Institute Osnabrück Prof. Dr. Hans Schulte-Nölke European Legal Studies Institute Osnabrück schulte-noelke@uni-osnabrueck.de Further reading and references: Schulte-Nölke, ‘ The way forward in European consumer contract law: optional instrument instead of further deconstruction of national private laws’, in: The Cambridge Companion to European Union Private Law 2010, pp. 131-146