Fair Trading in EC Law

Fair trading, that is to say the idea of a fair market-behavioural standard in the pre-contractual relationship between business and consumers, has played a fundamental role in EC law since the very beginning of the Community. After early attempts at horizontal harmonisation failed, a piecemeal legislative approach was adopted, and has resulted in an inharmonious coexistence of numerous sectoral Community measures concerning fair trading. At the same time, the European Court of Justice has devel