Legislation

EU regulations are transnational legislation that apply generally and as they stand in all Member States without having been amended to become national law.

Directives, on the other hand, are intended for legislators in the Member States that must translate them into their national legislation within a defined time frame. In their relations with traders, consumers cannot rely directly on directives but on the national legislation that implements them. Directives guarantee a minimum level of consumer protection binding on all Member States in different areas, but the Member States often have some leeway in national implementation and the scope to introduce tighter regulation than with a directive, as long as it is not in breach of the EU founding treaty.      It is therefore evident that the directives mentioned below provide a minimum level of consumer protection in Europe, although the law might still vary slightly for each country.