**Target:** Proposal for a regulation — Recital 60 b (new)

## Text proposed by the Commission



(60b)

## Amendment of the European Parliament

(60b) Rules on contractual terms should take into account the principle of contractual freedom as an essential concept in business-to-business relationships. Therefore, not all contractual terms should be subject to an unfairness test, but only to those terms that are unilaterally imposed on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups. This concerns ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ situations where one party supplies a certain contractual term and the micro, small or medium-sized enterprise and start-up cannot influence the content of that term despite an attempt to negotiate it. A contractual term that is simply provided by one party and accepted by the micro, small, medium-sized enterprise or a start-up or a term that is negotiated and subsequently agreed in an amended way between contracting parties should not be considered as unilaterally imposed.

Rules on contractual terms should take into account the principle of contractual freedom as an essential concept in business-to-business relationships. Therefore, not all contractual terms should be subject to an unfairness test, but only to those terms that are unilaterally imposed on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups. This concerns ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ situations where one party supplies a certain contractual term and the micro, small or medium-sized enterprise and start-up cannot influence the content of that term despite an attempt to negotiate it. A contractual term that is simply provided by one party and accepted by the micro, small, medium-sized enterprise or a start-up or a term that is negotiated and subsequently agreed in an amended way between contracting parties should not be considered as unilaterally imposed.