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The Commission’s proposals for ADR and ODR were reported in the December newsletter.

The European Commission seeks to improve the functioning of the retail internal market by implementing a system of ADR and ODR to help resolve contractual disputes between retailers and consumers arising from the sale of goods and services.

Research carried out by the European Consumer Centre Network (ECCN) found that out of 35,000 cross-border disputes notified to the ECCN, 91% of these could not be referred to ADR as this did not exist in the Member State. A system of ADR in each Member State is a first step before implementing an EU-wide ODR for cross-border disputes.

The ODR could help resolve contractual disputes arising from cross-border transactions. Consumers and traders would be able to lodge a complaint directly with the online dispute resolution platform and the dispute could then be referred for resolution to an appropriate ADR provider in the Member State concerned.

 

An example of ODR, cited in the European Commission's Impact Assessment, is the service provided by the Czech Arbitration Court (www.adr.eu). This is used by trade mark owners and domain name registrants throughout the EU to resolve disputes using the Czech Arbitration Court's online platform.

The call for evidence closes on 31 January 2012.

For more information, visit the BIS website.

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