Lucy Anderson (S&D). – Mr President, I’m speaking particularly about the new sale of goods directive, which is a significant achievement for consumers, businesses and indeed for the legal experts amongst us, for the future of EU contract law as a whole. As has been said, the new rights for sales of goods that function with software are very important and include rules protecting consumers who rely on updates for their smart phones or other devices that are connected to the internet.

More generally, Article 14 provides that repairs or replacements for defective goods must be free of charge. Other good points include that Article 20 requires Member States to take appropriate measures to inform consumers of their rights. Also to be welcomed is the strengthened emphasis on producer’s liability in Article 17. I hope this right can be improved further in future.

Finally, Member States will still be permitted to improve on this directive in key areas such as extending the reversal of burden of proof and protecting the short-term right to reject defective goods. I urge Member States to do so. In short, this is a directive well worth voting for and I will be pleased to do so.