Consultation Paper on the implementation of EU Directive on Consumer Alternative Dispute Resolution and the EU Regulation on Consumer Online Dispute Resolution

The EU Directive 2013/14/EC must be transposed into national law by Member States by 9 July 2015 and the EU Regulation No. 524/2013 is directly applicable in Members States from 9 January 2016.

The Directive requires the State to facilitate access by consumers to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures for domestic and cross-border disputes concerning contractual obligations stemming from sales/service contracts in all sectors and to ensure those procedures comply with the requirements set out in the Directive.

The Regulation creates a European online platform (“ODR Platform”) which takes the form of an interactive website which will provide a single point of entry for consumers and traders seeking to resolve cross border disputes out-of-court concerning online sales/service contracts.