2022 European Commission Public Consultation Report on ADR and ODR in Europe

The public consultation report on the implementation of EU legislation on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and online dispute resolution (ODR) aims to:

  • identify the main challenges to ADR and ODR at national and EU level
  • inform possible future reflections on how to ensure a better uptake of these tools to resolve low-value consumer disputes out of court.

A public consultation period took place between 04 April 2022 – 27 June 2022.

 

A summary of contributions can be found here:

 

Views On The Functioning Of The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) And Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Systems And The Consumer Enforcement Cooperation Mechanism

Based on this consultation, the European Commission will publish two reports in 2023 related to enforcement and out-of-court dispute resolution in the consumer protection area. The reports will take stock of progress in the implementation of the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 as well as the ADR Directive 2013/11 and ODR Regulation (EU) No 524/2013. In preparation of these reports, the Commission is carrying out a number of evidence-gathering actions, including data collection studies, a behavioural study on artificial intelligence-assisted tools, targeted consultations. It will also draw upon input from larger events such as the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) assembly from September 2021; and the 2022 Consumer Summit. The reports may serve as a foundation for future legislative and/or non-legislative initiatives aiming at strengthening public enforcement and redress tools available to consumers in order to contribute to a high level of compliance to EU consumer law, notably in view of the rapid development of digital markets.