Brussels, 15/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - The website that enables consumers and traders to resolve online trade related disputes is now up and running. This platform is covered by Regulation 524/2013 on online consumer disputes resolution and was launched on Monday 15 February in 24 official European Union languages.
The Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform has also been known as “mediation”, “conciliation” and “arbitration” and seeks to establish alternative ways of resolving disputes without going to court. The ODR platform offers a single point of entry that allows EU consumers and traders to settle their disputes for online purchases, by way of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) bodies to tackle the dispute in question.
Vìra Jourová, commissioner for justice, consumers and gender equality, said “Most consumers experiencing problems when buying online don't complain, as they believe the procedure is too long and that it won't be solved. The Online Dispute Resolution platform is an innovative tool saving time and money for consumers and traders”.
The ADR bodies are still not available in all member states or in all sectors because not all member states have completely transposed the European legislation in this connection. Currently, the new website does not contain a list of these bodies in certain sectors or in the following countries: Germany, Croatia, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovenia.
The Director General of BusinessEurope, the employers' organisation, Markus J. Beyrer stated, “This way of solving disputes will substantially increase confidence of citizens, shoppers and businesses doing their online cross-border transactions. We've been a strong supporter of this mechanism because we can avoid lengthy and costly court disputes with uncertain outcomes”. He also said they were committed to raising awareness about this initiative among companies. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)