Consumer protection during the currency of a credit agreement.

The research project analysed the different methods of consumer protection vis-à-vis consumer credit agreements. Nowadays the emphasis is on the information paradigm, according to which the well informed and circumspect consumer can make free and rational decisions if and to the extent he is given full, correct and understandable information. The first part of the project gives an overview of (i) the foundations of respectively EU and Belgian Contract and Consumer law and (ii) critically examines the information paradigm in the field of consumer credit regulation, as it is currently the EU's and most national legislators' preferred consumer protection method.Part two and three look into the legal grounds, risks and advantages of a right to alter credit agreements unilaterally or by mutual agreement, the right of early repayment, etc. These risks and advantages are weighed in normal situations as well as in a situation of financial distress of one of the contracting parties due to unforeseeable changed circumstances.To the extent such rights and/or legal grounds do not establish an appropriate level of consumer protection after signing the consumer credit agreement, the possibilities of and the respective grounds for a better substantive protection of the 'financial' consumer were studied upon and some changesde lege ferenda were proposed.status: publishe