Established by the French Consumer Code (article L. 534-1), the Commission des clauses
abusives (CCA) is the French Unfair Terms Law Commission.

The CCA is an autonomous body of the Ministry in charge of Consumer Affairs. It is administratively attached to the French National Consumer Institute.

The CCA is composed of judges, qualified persons in law or contract law, consumer and
professionals representatives.

The Commission examines contracts offered by professionals and recommends deleting or amending clause which seek to create or result in creating, at the expense of non-professional or consumer, a significant imbalance in the party’s rightsand obligations arising under the contract. A case may be referred to the Commission by a judge during a proceeding to give its opinion on the unfairness of a contractual term.

From 1979 to 2016, the CCA established 75 recommendations and 36 opinions in several
matters (Banking, Insurance, Real Estate…).

The Commission shall draw up an annual activity report.

Its website – www.clauses-abusives.fr – is a collection of over 600 decisions of European and
French courts regarding the legislation on unfair terms. It is therefore an information portal for all law
professionals but also for consumers.