An unprecedented number of consumer problems has been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, not least with regard to refunds of prepayments and the ability of consumers to keep up their monthly payments under loan and rental agreements. Based on a notion of societal force majeure sketched in this paper, we propose guiding principles in respect of the introduction of moratoria on recurring payments, the use of refunds or vouchers in respect of prepayments, and associated enforcement challenges. This analysis draws on experiences around the globe. Keywords Consumer law. COVID-19. Moratoria. Refunds. Guiding principles The COVID-19 pandemic has swept around the world. As well as huge suffering and high numbers of fatalities, it has had a heavy negative economic impact. Millions of consumers around the world are suffering financially, because many have lost their regular income, and many are fighting to obtain refunds of prepayments from struggling businesses whilst having to service loans and rental payments. In this contribution, we, a research group on consumer law with a global reach, offer an initial assessment of the legal difficulties consumers face. We argue for a principles-based way forward and evaluate a range of global initiatives taken thus far.

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There is not much, if any, research available on consumer law and policy outside Australia, the European Union (EU), the United States (US), and in limits South America and India, 1 and what little there is has hitherto been limited. This gap needs to be closed through focused research on consumer law in Africa, Asia, and South America, as well as its interaction with Australian, European, and US American consumer law and policy. Steps towards filling this gap are taken as part of a much broader project financed by the Academy of Finland on the "External Dimension of European Private Law." 2 With regard to consumer law, we (Geraint Howells (Asia), Claudia Lima Marques (South America), Tjakie Naude (Africa), and Hans Micklitz (EU)) have joined forces with the European University Institute, Helsinki University, and the Journal of Consumer Policy. All three institutions have generously contributed funding for research into African, Asian, and South American consumer law. One of the major challenges was to make scholarship from such different regions of the world accessible and, boldly spoken, suitable for comparison. At the outset, we decided to organize a series of conferences in Hong Kong, Cape Town (South Africa), and Porto Alegre (Brazil) in 2017. Organizing conferences in these locations made it much easier to assemble scholars from each continent. This would have been impossible and unaffordable, had we decided to invite experts from these continents to, e.g., Florence or Helsinki. Overcoming this organizational hurdle was crucial. Having done so, we decided to facilitate discussion and comparison through developing a uniform template, built around three major issues: (1) the general features, (2) case studies, and (3) external influences. This template has been designed

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