The Concept of Consumer Vulnerability: Do We Need a New One?

• Jurisdiction: European Union
• Year: 2022
• Author: Mateusz Grochowski

Speaker

Dr. Mateusz Grochowski is a Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law in Hamburg. He has previously held positions as an Emile Noël Fellow at New York University School of Law, a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute, and a Fox International Fellow at Yale University. He is an Editor at the "Journal of European Consumer and Market Law" (EuCML) and a Member of the Office of Studies and Analyses of the Supreme Court of Poland. His research focuses on European private law, with particular emphasis on consumer law and its relation to new technology.

Topic

In this e-presentation, Dr. Mateusz Grochowski critically examines the existing concept of consumer vulnerability and identifies its main weaknesses. He emphasizes the challenges faced by consumers in the digital world, where they are often exposed to sophisticated and complex marketing practices and may lack the necessary skills and knowledge to make informed decisions. Dr. Grochowski then discusses future policy prospects for consumer protection and proposes a possible reframing of the concept of vulnerability.

Overall, Dr. Grochowski's presentation provides a critical and nuanced analysis of the challenges and opportunities facing consumer protection policy in the digital age. His insights and proposals are based on his extensive research and expertise in the field of European private law, with a particular focus on consumer law and its relation to new technology.

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