Alternative Dispute Resolution - European Commission's Consultation - BEUC response

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is one of the useful tools for consumer redress as long as ADR bodies comply with certain principles and requirements. To this end, we call on the Commission to include the principles for consumer ADR in a binding instrument and to introduce the requirement of regular assessment of ADR compliance with those principles.

Our recommendations include: 

• Extensive information about ADR should be available for consumers  via ADR websites and other means so consumers could make an informed choice whether to turn to such schemes.
• ADR must always remain a choice.
• The ADR result should not be binding on a consumer.
• Various funding options should remain valid.
• Independence is key.