<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The regulation of consumer protection in procedural law is largely up to the individual Member States of the European Union, which have procedural autonomy in these matters. In the area of individual judicial protection, there are two possible approaches to consumer protection. The first of these is not to introduce any regulation of procedural rules, as the general legal regulation of civil court proceedings seems to be fully sufficient to meet the above requirements. The other approach is to introduce special procedural rules for consumer protection. The Czech procedural regulation is based more on the first approach. The aim of this article is to evaluate whether the regulation set in this way provides the consumer with sufficient protection and meets the requirements of the right to judicial protection and a fair trial.
</abstract>

Procedural specifics of resolving consumer disputes in individual civil court proceedings in the Czech Republic

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The paper at hand deals with collective procedural mechanism in the Czech Republic. Class action is nowadays considered one of the main procedural tools to protect consumers. Collective procedure in business-to-consumer disputes is thus on its rise in Europe. Yet, the Czech Republic belongs to few EU Member States where consumers still cannot rely on comprehensive regulation of collective action. The paper firstly provides for a brief introduction of existing possibilities that are governed by the Czech procedural law such as right of a consumer organisation to file for representative action on injunction relief or judge’s discretion to use the consolidation of civil proceedings. Further, the article focuses on the question, whether it would be useful if the Czech consumers (or qualified entities on their behalf) could file for collective action on redress measure. The paper subsequently presents the main principles of the unsuccessful Proposal for Collective Proceedings Act, which was submitted by the former Government. Finally, the article elaborates on possible development in this matter, given a duty of the Czech legislator to implement Directive on representative actions.
</abstract>

Collective Actions for the Protection of Consumers in the Czech Republic

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The substantive provisions protecting the consumer in contractual relations belong to the reality of European and Slovak national law, which no one dares to doubt anymore. These norms are of such importance that they have fundamentally influenced the nature of civil law in general. In order for civil procedure to fulfil its basic function in this area, that is, to protect and enforce substantive law and to be a means of protecting subjective rights and legally protected interests, it must ‘keep up’ with the development of substantive law. Procedural law ensures the fullfilment of consumer rights as well. This article crearly describes the procedural specifics of consumer dispute resolutions in Slovakia. It brings the overview of the system of procedural protection as o whole but also focuses deeper on specifics of consumer disputes in standard civil procedure before general courts. The article also briefly describes the system of alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes and system of consumer procedural protection in administrative and criminal proceedings.
</abstract>

Procedural Specifics of Consumer Dispute Resolutions in Slovakia

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The European Union has put in place EU rules on consumer contracts and enforcement of consumer rights. These tendencies have also had a significant impact on the Hungarian legislation of recent years. We would describe some provisions of the new Hungarian Code of Civil Procedure concerning consumer enforcement and the Hungarian experience of Directive 93/13/EEC so far. The new Hungarian Code of Civil Procedure has reformed domestic rules on jurisdiction in the field of a consumer’s claim arising from a contractual relationship. The article also covers the following areas of law: Hungarian experience with foreign currency-based loan agreements, reforms to the preliminary ruling procedure in the new Hungarian Code of Civil Procedure.
</abstract>

Consumer Enforcement Opportunities – New Approaches and Trends in Hungarian Procedural Laws

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The Member States have sufficient leeway to maintain or flexibly shape the domestic map of consumer enforcement system within the European Union, thus reflecting the sociocultural conditions of the Member State concerned. In this study I focus on the consumer redress mechanisms in wider and narrow sense in the Hungarian legal system, highlighting the unique or special solutions.
</abstract>

Rules of Consumer Redress in Hungary, in Particular Regarding the Domestic Model of Alternative Dispute Resolution

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

Author of this contribution analyses the rules of the Hungarian Code of Civil Procedure and relevant case law in aim to find out if there is a special rule on taking evidence in consumer disputes. He concludes that there is no such special rule but some general rules of Code of Civil Procedure and provisions of Civil Code containing special rules on the burden of proof in some consumer cases help consumers to assert their rights in court proceedings..
</abstract>

Asymmetric Position of Consumer and Burden of Proof in Hungarian Civil Procedure

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The article addresses selected issues related to the resolution of cases for consumer protection under civil procedure in Poland. Although consumer law is mainly the domain of substantive civil law, in civil procedural law there are also normative solutions concerning this issue and they will be discussed in the article. The author will present new legal instruments aimed at increasing the effectiveness of consumer protection in civil proceedings, as well as the proposed changes that should be under debate.
</abstract>

Resolution of Cases for Consumer Protection under Civil Procedure in Poland. Selected Issues

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The author of this contribution deals with specifics of consumer disputes in Austrian civil procedure law. He analyses special provisions that address consumers in dispute resolution and general procedural rules that do not specifically apply to consumers but have their major impact on consumers. He gives an overview on the caselaw of the Austrian Supreme Court in which the Court has introduced several ways to protect the interests of consumers.
</abstract>

Consumer Dispute Resolution in Austria

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The article is devoted to the problem of interpretation and application in practice of the European human rights standards through autonomous interpretation, as well as to the definition of the role and significance of the doctrine of margin of appreciation in this process. The relevance of the subject matter of research is due to the need to implement effective mechanisms for ensuring and protecting key human rights and freedoms in Ukraine, the establishment of the European principles of law and the European identity. The purpose of the study is a comprehensive analysis of the formation and evolution of the doctrine of autonomous interpretation in the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights by studying and synthesizing judicial practice on the application of autonomous interpretation and elaboration on this basis of a system of autonomous concepts that reflect the common European vision of fundamental human rights and are also a kind of foundation of the European human rights law. The methodological basis of the paper are philosophical, general scientific and special research methods, in particular, dialectical, historical, logical, systemic, sociological, and comparative methods. The study concludes that it is through autonomous interpretation based on the European consensus that the European Court of Human Rights establishes imperative standards for the interpretation and application of human rights in practice, which prevents certain violations by particular member states of the Council of Europe, as well as supports the convergence and harmonization of different national legal systems, which contributes to the formation of the most homogeneous legal environment and the European system of human rights protection. The practical feasibility of the study is aimed primarily at applying autonomous concepts in practice, prima facie, by the judiciary.
</abstract>

Associate Professor at the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University

Autonomous Interpretation by the European Court of Human Rights and Margin of Appreciation

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Discussions of preventing and addressing adverse impact of business activities on human rights have occupied international community at least for the last fifty years. This article discusses successes and failures of past attempts, a state of play of negotiating legally binding instrument and alternative approaches to the current path. It suggests that the way forward for a successful treaty on business and human rights is maintaining key objectives of the draft, namely access to remedy and justice for victims of corporate abuses, balanced with cross regional support among States. Alternative approaches may be worth exploring if they would promise of delivering this balance. In this context, a new group of friends may contribute to changing of dynamics of discussions and mindsets of key players.
</abstract>

Draft Legally Binding Instrument on Business and Human Rights – Is UN Stepping Twice into the Same River?

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Brexit became part of the European public consciousness following the 2016 referendum. We are only just starting to realize the actual effects and consequences of the UK’s withdrawal in multiple issues. The article analyzes the new, post-Brexit continental status quo and the changing trends in institutional decision-making. The position and dominance of the Member States are reflected in their role in the EU institutions. The weight of the Member States in decision-making also has a significant impact on the development of individual common policies. Brexit has strengthened the dominance of Germany and France. However, it also affected the position of Central and Eastern European states. Poland has become one of the “big Member States” that could make the combined dominance of the Visegrád states (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia) more relevant in forming the future of the EU..
</abstract>

Post-Brexit European Map: the New Continental Status Quo and Institutional Decision-Making

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International and Comparative Law Review

 International and Comparative Law Review is a peer-reviewed legal journal published by the Faculty of Law, Palacký University Olomouc (Czech Republic) in cooperation with Johannes Kepler Universität in Linz (Austria) and Karl-Franzens Universität in Graz (Austria). The articles are published mostly in English; occasionally contributions in German or French may be also accepted.  The journal has been published since 2001, peer-reviewed is since 2005. It is issued twice a year.  The aim of ICLR is to reflect expert research in the field of International law and EU Law as well as in legal orders both of the Czech Republic and other Member States of the European Union. Here the special emphasis is given to the legal systems of Central European Countries. The journal is comparative by its focus and with respect to this perspective it deals with all areas of law.  Rejection Rate:   40%   Why subscribe and read   Significant contribution to the legal studies in the field of international law, transnational law, EU law and comparative law as well as in related fields of research  Contact with the up-to-date research  Contact with the group of international of scholars   Why submit   Fair and constructive double-blind peer review  Fast and efficient publication process  Commitment to the quality of every article  Wide dissemination of content   Target group  researchers and experts in the field of International law and EU Law   Archiving  Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.  Plagiarism Policy  The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 