Protection of consumers: liability for defective products (amend. Directive 85/374/EEC)

In its common position, the Council favours the Commission?s original proposal without any fundamental changes. The Council unanimously supported the Commission?s text, rejecting all amendments adopted by the European Parliament at first reading. These amendments aimed to: - substantially revise the basic directive of 1985, going beyond the aims of the proposal (amendments concerning psychological damage, the threshold, the time limits, the compensatory limit and the fundamental review of the directive in 2000); - clarify certain points specific to primary agricultural products (amendments on liability for intermediate products and means of production and the obligation to present an impact report in 2002). The only technical change incorporated into the Council?s text is the date of entry into force 18 months from the date of publication in the Official Journal, instead of 1 January 1999 as proposed by the Commission.�