Commission planning dispute resolution rules

Rules aim to make it easier for people to complain about goods or services.

The European Commission is planning to announce rules to make it easier for people to complain about goods or services without going to court.

Staff in the department of John Dalli, the European commissioner for consumer policy, are working on proposals aimed at introducing an EU-wide alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme.

Dalli believes that many people give up pursuing complaints because the existing system is too complicated – and that this also deters people from buying goods and services across borders.

The Commission has just concluded a three-month consultation into the possibility of setting up such a scheme, while the European Parliament’s internal market committee is to present the results of a study on the issue by the end of May. Legislative proposals are expected before the end of the year.

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Cutting costs

Existing ADR schemes are patchy across EU member states. Some countries do not have any process at all while others have introduced schemes but only for certain industries.

A pan-EU system would be designed to give people a convenient and less expensive alternative to going to court to settle disputes or to obtain compensation, probably by using an independent third party to help mediate.