Inmaculada Barral-Viñals

University of Barcelona | UB · Department of Civil Law

This paper examines consumer access to justice in the EU by analysing how Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) can improve this access, especially in the case of low-value cross-border disputes, which constitute the majority of consumer contract complaints. The discussion is based on a widened concept of open jus...

Introduction. E-commerce is a new domain for contracting with consumers but it is not an unregulated area. Nevertheless, traditional solutions to this new form of contracting can be useless; e-consumers may fall outside the scope of application of the legal framework. Another important issue is how to enforce the rights of these e-consumers, who ar...

Introduction This chapter tries to show how harmonisation in the field of consumer law, which is part of contract law, will not be achieved unless we also start to work on the harmonisation of EU enforcement legislation, specifically regarding individual redress by means of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) systems. In fact, the choice made by t...

La utilització dels mitjans alternatius de resolució de conflictes (ADR) en l'àmbit de les reclamacions de consum té un marc legal específic a Espanya -i també a la UE- des del 1993, que deriva de les seves característiques especials. Algunes són d'encuny exclusivament jurídic: es tracta de reclamacions en què el marc legal aplicable és el denomina...

La utilización de ADR en el ámbito de las reclamaciones de consumo tiene un marco legal específico en España -y también en la UE- desde 1993, que deriva de sus características especiales. Algunas son de cuño exclusivamente jurídico: se trata de reclamaciones en las que el marco legal aplicable es el denominado derecho de consumo; otras poseen un so...

Introduction, This chapter examines the compatibility of the common law concept of unconscionability with various categories in civil law, with particular reference to Spanish legislation, which has no general principle that corresponds directly to that of unconscionability, at least to the extent that this term exists in common law systems. Yet, S...

The Faculty of Law of the University of Barcelona receives every year a high and increasing number of foreign students, in the Socrates–Erasmus Programme as well as in the modality of free movers. They normally have a strong interest in learning Spanish law but that can be sometimes very difficult in the framework of the courses that the faculty of...