prop · GG0395 · 1992-12-31 00:00:00 — Bestäraraelseraa i 177 § sjölagen innehåller begränsningari vissa fall av resenärens möjligheter att överlåta sin rätt enligt ett befordringsavtal.Ändringen, i form av ett nytt andra stycke i paragrafen, innebär attbestämmelserna om överlåtelserätt i lagen om paketresor (10 §) gäller i ställetför sjölagens regel i de fall då lagen om paketresor är tillämplig på avtalet.IDet betyder att bestämmelseraa i 177 § sjölagen inte utgör något hinder förresenären att överlåta paketresan. Med hänvisning till vad jag nu har anfört hemställer jagatt regeringen föreslår att anta förslagen till 1. lag om paketresor, 2.lag om ändringi resegarantilagen (1972:204), 3.lag om ändringi sjölagen (1891:35 s. 1). Vidare hemställer jag att regeringen föreslår riksdagenatt besluta attmotionstiden skall förkortas . Regeringen ansluter sig till föredragandens övervägandenoch beslutar att genom proposition föreslå att anta de förslag somföredraganden har lagt fram. Bilaga 1 Prop. 1992/93:95 COUNCIL DIRECTIVE Bilaga 1 of 13 1990 on package , package holidays andpackage tours (90/314/EEC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the EuropeanEconomic Coraraunity, and in particular Article 100a thereof, Having regard to the proposal frora the Commission ', In cooperation with Parliament, Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and SocialComraittee', Whereas one of the main objectives of the Coraraunity isto coraplete the interaal märket, of which the tourist sector is an essentialpart; Whereas the national laws of Member States conceraingpackage , package holidays and package tours, hereinafter referred to as'packages', show many disparities and national practices in this field areraarkedly different, which gives rise to obstacles to the freedora to provideservices in respect of packages and distortions of corapeti-tion amongstoperators established in different Meraber States; Whereas the establishraent of coraraon mles on packageswill contribute to the eliraination of these obstacles and thereby to theachievement of a coraraon raarket in services, thus enabling operatorsestablished in one to offer their services in other MeraberStates and Coraraunity consuraers to benefit from comparable conditions whenbuying a package in any Meraber State; Whereas paragraph 36 (b) of the to the Councilresolution of 19 1981 on a second programme of EconomicCoraraunity for a consuraer protection and information policy'* invites theCommision to study, inter alia, tourism and, if appropriate, to put forwardsuitable proposals, with due regard for their significance for consumerprotection and the effects of differences in Meraber States' legislation on theproper functioning of the common märket; Whereas in the resolution on a Community policy on tourismon 10 1 OJ No C 96, , p. 2 OJ No C 69, 20.3.1989, p. 102 andOJ No C 149, . 3 OJ No C 102, 24.4.1989, p. 4 OJ No C 165, 23.6.1981, p. the Council welcomed the Commission'sinitiative in Prop. 1992/93:95 drawing attention to the importance of tourismand took note of the Bilaga 1 Commission's initial guidelines for a Communitypolicy on tourism; Whereas the Commission communication to the Councilentitled 'A New Impetus for Consumer Protection Policy', which was approved byresolution of 1986', lists in paragraph 37, among themeasures proposed by the Commission, the harmonization of legislation onpackages; plays an increasingly important role inthe economies of the Member States; whereas the package system is a fundamentalpart of tourism; whereas the package industry in Member States would bestimulated to greater growth and productivity if at least a minimum of common mleswere adopted in order to give it a Community dimension; whereas this would notonly produce benefits for Community citizens buying [»ckages organized on thebasis of those mles, but would attract tourists from outside the Communityseeking the advantages of guaranteed standards in packages; Whereas disparities in the mles protecting consumers indifferent Member States are a disincentive to consumers in one Member Statefrom buying packages in another Meraber State; Whereas this disincentive is particularly effective indeterring consumers from buying packages outside their own , andmore effective than it would be in relation to the acquisition of otherservices, having regard to the special nature of the services supplied in apackage which generaUy involve the expenditure of substantial amounts of moneyin advance and the supply of the services in a State other than that in whichthe consumer is resident; Whereas the consumer should have the benefit of theprotection introduced by this Directive irrespective of whether he is a directcontracting party, a transferee or a meraber of a group on whose behalf anotherperson has concluded a contract in respect of a package; Whereas the organizer of the package and/or the retailerof it should be under obligation to ensure that in descriptive matter relatingto packages which they respectively organize and sell, the information which isgiven is not misleading and brochures made available to consumers containinformation which is comprehensible and accurate; Whereas the consumer needs to have a record of the termsof contract applicable to the package; whereas this can conveniently beachieved by requiring that all the terms of the contract be stated in 5 OJ No C 115,30.4.1984, p. 6 OJ No C 118, , p. writing or such otherdocumentary form as shall be comprehensible Prop. 1992/93:95 and accessible to him, and that he be given a copy thereof; Bilaga 1 Whereasthe consumer should be at in certain circumstances to transfer to awilling third person a booking made by him for a package; Whereasthe price established under the contract should not in principle be subject torevision except where the possibility of upward or downward revision isexpressly provided for in the contract; whereas that possibility shouldnonetheless be subject to certain conditions; Whereasthe consumer should in certain circumstances be free to withdraw beforedeparture from a package contract; Whereasthere should be a clear definition of the rights available to the consumer incircumstances where the organizer of the package cancels it before the agreeddate of departure; Whereasif, after the consumer has departed, there occurs a significant failure ofperformance of the services for which he has contracted or the organizerperceives that he will be unable to procure a significant part of the servicesto be provided; the organizer should have certain obligations towards theconsumer; Whereasthe organizer and/or retailer party to the contract should be liable to theconsumer for the proper performance of the obligations arising from thecontract; whereas, moreover, the organizer and/or retailer should be liable forthe damage resulting for the consumer from failure to perform or improperperformance of the contract unless the defects in the performance of thecontract are attributablé neither to any fault of theirs nor to that ofanothrer supplier of services; Whereasin cases where the organizer and/or retailer is liable for failure to performor improper performance of the services invoived in the package, such liabilityshould be limited in accordance with the intemational conventions goveming suchservices, in particular the Convention of 1929 in InteraationalCarrigage by Air, the Beme Convention of 1961 on Carriage by Rail, the AthensConvention of 1974 on Carriage by Sea and the Convention of 1962 on theLiability of Hotelkeepers; whereas, moreover, with regard to damage other thanpersonal injury, it should be possible for liability also to be limited underthe package contract provided, however, that such limits are not unreasonable; Whereascertain arrangements should be made for the information of consumers and thehandling of complaints; Whereasboth the consumer and the package industry would benefit if organizersand/or retailers were placed under an obligation to provide sufficient evidenceof security in the event of insolvency; WhereasMember States should be at to adopt, or retain, morestringent provisions relating to package for the purpose Prop.1992/93:95 of protecting the consumer. HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: The purpose of this Directive is to approximate the laws,regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating topackages sold or offered for sale in the territory of the Community. For the purposes of this Directive: 'package' means the pre-arranged combination of notfewer than two of the following when sold or offered for sale at an inclusive price and when the service covers a period of raore than twenty- four hours or includes ovemight accommodation: (a)transport; (b)accommodation; (c)other touristservices not ancillary to transport or accomrao-dation and accounting for asignificant proportion of the package. The separate of various components of the samepackage shall not absolve the organizer or retailer from the obligations underthis Directive; 'organizer'means the person who, other than occasionally, organizes packages and sells oroffers them for sale, whether directly or through a retailer; 'retailer'meansthe person who sells or offers for sale the package put together by theorganizer; 'consumer'meansthe person who takes or agrees to take the package ('the principal contractor'),or any person on whose behalf the principal contractor agrees to purchase thepackage ('the other beneficiaries') or any person to whom the principalcontractor or any of the other beneficiaries transfers the package ('thetransferee'); 'contract'means the agreement Iinking the consuraer to the organizer and/or the retailer. Anydescriptive matter concerning a package and supplied by the organizer or the retailer to the concumer, the price of the package and any other conditions applying to the contract must not contain any misleading information. Whena brochure is made available to the consumer, it shall indicate in a legible, comprehensible and accurate both the price and adequate information concerning: (a) the destination and the means, characteristics andcategories of transport used; (b) the type of accommodation, its location, categoryor degree of comfort and its main features, its approval and tourist classifieationunder the mles of the höst conceraed; (c) the meal plan; (d) theitinerary; (e) generalinformation on passport and visa requireraents for nationals of the or States conceraed and health formalhies required for the jouraey and the stay; (f) eitherthe monetary amount or the percentage of the price which is to be paid on account, and the tiraetable for payraent of the balance; (g) whethera rainiraum number of persons is required for the package to take place and, ifso, the deadline for informing the consumer in the event of cancellation. Theparticulars contained in the brochure are binding on the organizer or retailer,unless: - changes in such particulars have been clearlycoraraunicated to the consumer before conclusiön of the contract, in which casethe brochure shall expressly state so, - changes are made later following an agreeraentbetween the parties to the contract. (a) The organizer and/or the retailer shall provide the consumer, in writingor any other appropriate form, before the contract is concluded, with generalinformation on passport and visa requirements applicable to nationals of theMember State or States conceraed and in particular on the periods for obtainingthem, as well as with information on the health forraalities required for thejouraey and the stay; (b) The organizer and/or retailer shall also provide theconsumer, Prop. 1992/93:95 in writing or any other appropriate form, withthe following Bilaga 1 information in good time before the start of thejoumey: (i) the times and places of intermedlate stops andtransport connections as well as details of the place to be occupied by thetraveller, e.g. cabin or berth on ship, sleeper compartment on train; (ii) the name, address and telephone number of theorganizer's and/or retailer's local representative or, failing that, of localagencies on whose assistance a consumer in difficulty could eall. Where no such representatives or agencies exist, theconsumer must in any case be provided with an emergency telephone number or anyother information that will enable him to contact the organizer and/or theretailer; (iii) in the case of joumeys or stays abroad by minors,information enabling direct contact to be established with the child or theperson responsible at the child's place of stay; (iv) information on the optional conclusiön of aninsurance policy to cover the cost of cancellation by the consumer or the costof assistance, including repatriation, in the event of accident or illness. Member States shall ensure that in relation to thecontract the following principles apply: (a)depending onthe particular package, the contract shall contain at least the elements listedin the ; (b)all the tennsof the contract are set out in writing or such other form as is comprehensibleand accessible to the consumer and must be communicated to him before theconclusiön of the contract; the consumer is given a copy of these terms; (c)the provisionunder (b) shall not preclude the belated conclusiön of last-minutereservations or contracts. Where the consumer is prevented from proceding withthe package, he may transfer his booking, having first given the organizer or the retailer reasonable notice of his intention beforedeparture, to Prop. a person who satisfies all the conditions applicable tothe package. The transferor of the package and the transferee shall bejointiy and severally liable to the organizer or retailer party to thecontract for payment of the balance due and for any additional costsarising from (a) The priees laid down in the contract shall notbe subject to revision unless the contract expressly provides for thepossibility of upward or downward revision and states precisely how the revisedprice is to be calculated, and solely to allow for variations in: -transportationcosts, including the cost of fiiel, -dues, taxes orfees chargeable for certain services, such as landing taxes or erabarkation ordisembarkation fees at ports and airports, -the exchangeråtes applied to the particular package. (b) During the twenty days prior to the departure datestipulated, the price stated in the contract shall not be increased. If the organizer finds that before the departure he isconstrained to alter significantiy any of the essential terms, such as the price, he shall notify the consumer as quickly as possible in order to enable him to take appropriate decisions and in particular: -either towithdraw from the contract without penaity, -or to accept arider to the contract specifying the alterations made and their impact on theprice. The consumer shall inform the organizer or the retailer ofhis decision as soon as possible. If the consumer withdraws from the contract pursuantto para graph 5, or if, for whatever cause, other than the fault of the consumer, the organizer cancels the package before the agreed date of departure, the consumer shall be entitled: (a) either to take a substitute package of equivalent or higherquality where the organizer and/or retailer is able to offer hira such a substitute.If the replacement package offered is of lower quality, the organizer shall refiindthe difference in price to the consumer; (b) or to be repaid as soon as possible all suras paid byhim under Prop. 1992/93:95 the contract. In such a case, he shall be entitled, if appropriate, tobe compensated by either the organizer or the retailer, whichever the relevant MemberState's law requires, for non-performance of the contract, except where: (i) cancellation is on the grounds that the number ofpersons enrolled for the package is less than the minimum number required and theconsuraer is informed of the cancellation, in writing, within the period indicatedin the package description; or (ii) cancellation, excluding overbooking, is for reasonsof force majeure, i.e. unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond the controiof the party by whom it is pleaded, the consequences of which could not have beenavoided even if all due care had been exercised. Where, after departure, a significant proportion of theservices contracted for is not provided or the organizer perceives that he willbe unable to procure a significant proportion of the services to be provided, theorganizer shall make suitable altemative arrangements, at no extra cost to the consumer,for the continuation of the package, and where appropriate compensate the consumerfor the difference between the services offered and those supplied. If it is impossible to make such arrangements or these arenot accepted by the consumer for good reasons, the organizer shall, where appropriate,provide the consumer, at no extra cost, with equivalent transport back to the placeof departure, or to another return-point to which the consumer has agreed and shall,where appropriate, compensate the consumer. Member States shall take the necessary steps to ensure thatthe organizer and/or retailer party to the contract is liable to the consumerfor the proper performance of the obligations arising from the contract, irrespectiveof whether such obligations are to be performed by that organizer and/or retaileror by other suppliers of services without prejudice to the right of the organizerand/or retailer to pursue those other suppliers of services. With regard to the daraageresulting for the consumer from the Prop. 1992/93:95 failure to perform or the improper performance of the contract. Bilaga 1 Meraber States shall take the necessary steps to ensure that the organizerand/or retailer is/are liable unless such failure to perforra or improper performanceis attributablé neither to any fault of theirs nor to that of another supplierof services, because: - the failures which occur in the performance of the contractare attributablé to the consumer, - such failures are attributablé to a third party unconnectedwith the provision of the services contracted for, and are unforeseeable or unavoidable, - such failures are due to a case of force raajeure suchas that defined in Article 4 (6), second subparagraph (ii), or to an event whichthe organizer and/or retailer or the supplier of services, even with all due care,could not foresee or forestall. Inthe cases referred to in the second and third indents, the organizer and/or retailerparty to the contract shall be required to give prompt assistance to a consumerin difficulty. Inthe raatter of daraages arising frora the non-perforraance or improper performanceof the services invoived in the package, the Meraber States raay allow compensationto be limited in accordance with the interaational conventions goveming suchservices. Inthe matter of damage other than personal injury resulting from the non-performanceor improper performance of the services invoived in the package, the MemberStates may allow compensation to be limited under the contract. Such limitationshall not be unreasonable. Withoutprejudice to the fourth subparagraph of paragraph 2, there may be no exclusion by means of a contractual from the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2. Theconsumer raust communicate any failure in the performance of a contract which he perceives on the spöt to the supplier of the services concemed and to the organizer and/or retailer in writing or any other appropriate form at the earliest opportunity. Thisobligation raust be stated clearly and explicitly in the contract. Bilaga1 In cases of complaint, the organizer and/or retailer or his local representative, if thereis one, must make prompt efforts to find Theorganizer and/or retailer party to the contract shall provide sufficient evidenceof security for the refund of money paid över and for the repatriation of the consumerin the event of insolvency. MemberStates may adopt or retain more stringent provisions in the field covered by thisDirective to protect the consumer. Member States shall bring into force the measures necessaryto comply with this Directive before . They shall forthwithinform the Coraraission thereof. Member States shall communicate to the Coraraissionthe texts of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field govemedby this Directive. The Commission shall inform the other Member States thereof. ThisDirective is addressed to the Member States. Doneat , 13 1990. Bilaga 1 Elements to be included in the contract ifrelevant to the particular package; (a) the destination(s) and, whereperiods of stay are invoived, the relevant periods, with dates; (b) the means, characteristics and categoriesof transport to be used, the dates, times and points of departure and retum; (c) where the package includes accommodation,its location, its tourist category or degree of comfort, its main features, itscompliance with the mles of the höst member state conceraed and the meal plan; (d) whether a minimum number of persons is required for the package to take place and, if so, the deadline for inforraing the consumer in the event of cancellation; (e) the itinerary; (f) visits, excursions or other services which are includedin the total price agreed for the package; (g) the name and address of the organizer, the retailerand, where appropriate, the insurer; (h) the price of the package, an indication of the possibilityof price revisions under article 4 (4) and an indication of any dues, taxes or feeschargeable for certain services (landing, embarkation or disembarkation fees atports and airports, tourist taxes) where such costs are not included in the package; (i) the payment schedule and method of payment; (j) special requireraents which the consuraer has communicatedto the organizer or retailer when making the booking, and which both have accepted; (k) periods within which the consumer must raake any coraplaintconceming failure to perforra or improper perforraance of the contract. 1992/93:95 RÅDETS DIREKTIV Bilaga 2 av den 13juni 1990 om paketresor, semesterpaket och andra paketarrangeraang (90/314/EEG) EUROPEISKA GEMENSKAPERNAS RAD HAR ANTAGIT DETTA DIREKTIV med beaktande av fördraget om upprättande av Europeiskaekonomiska gemenskapen, särskilt artikel 100a i detta, med beaktande av komraissionens förslag, i samarbete med , med beaktande av Ekonomiska och sociala kommitténsyttrande, och medbeaktande av följande: Ett av gemenskapens huvudraål är att förverkliga den inre raarknadendär turistsektom är en väsentlig del. Den nationella lagstiftningen i de olika raedlemsstatema orapaketresor, seraesterpaket och andra paketarrangeraang, nedan kallade'resepaket', uppvisar stora skillnader, och nationell praxis på detta område ärmycket varierande. Detta får till följd att reseanangörer hindras att fritttillhandahålla sina tjänster avseende resepaket och leder till en snedvridningav konkurrensen mellan näringsidkare som är etablerade i olika medlemsländer. Gemensamma regler för resepaket bidrar till att hindrenundanröjs och möjliggör på så sätt en gemensara marknad för tjänster. Denäringsidkare som är etablerade i en medlemsstat får då möjlighet atttillhandahålla sina tjänster i andra raedlerasstater. Konsuraenter inomgemenskapen kan på så sätt dra nytta av järaförbara villkor när de köper ettresepaket i en raedlerasstat. Punkt 36 b i bilagan till rådets resolution av den 19 maj1981 om Europeiska ekonomiska gemenskapemas andra konsumentpolitiska programanmodar komraissionen att studera bl a turisra och, om så bedöms lämpligt,lägga fram lämpliga förslag. Hänsyn skall därvid tas till förslagens betydelseför konsumentskyddet och tiU hur skillnadema i medlemsstateraas lagstiftning inverkar på den gemensamma Prop. 1992/93:95 marknadens funktion.