Franchising in Europe: An Agenda for Harmonisation and Reform?

The franchising industry in the European Union (EU) currently faces a patchwork of regulation. A small but significant minority of Member States (such as France, Italy, and Spain) have enacted specific laws focused on the manner in which franchisors sell their franchises to franchisees, as well as the rights and duties of the parties once a franchise has been granted. Most EU Member States (including the UK) do not, however, have specific franchising laws and leave regulation of the franchising sector to laws applicable to commercial activity generally.