On the evening of Thursday 26 June, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached an agreement on the new rules for the out-of-court settlement of consumer disputes (amendment of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Directive).
This directive, which has been in existence since 2013, enables consumers and traders to resolve disputes without going to court, but was considered obsolete due to procedures that were too complex and ill-suited to online trade.
The co-legislators have managed to find common ground over the integration and participation of third countries with regard to the increase in trade with players based outside the European Union.
The new text extends the prerogatives of the directive to cover problems that may arise, including before the contract is signed (in relation to advertising or the provision of information) and after it has ended (the use of digital content).
Airlines are also automatically included in the scope of action, with a request being made by the European Parliament and the text’s rapporteur, Laura Ballarín Cereza (S&D, Spanish).
The MEPs approved their position last March (see EUROPE 13370A27) and the Council of the EU approved its position at the end of September (see EUROPE 13490/2) on this proposal presented by the Commission in October 2023 (see EUROPE 13273/6) in order to “adapt these alternative methods of recourse to the courts to the digital age and to speed up procedures by simplifying them”. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)