Online dispute resolution for consumer disputes

EESC opinion: Online dispute resolution for consumer disputes

Key points:

The EESC:

  • welcomes the Commission's proposal and supports its choice of a regulation as the legal instrument. However, in the Committee's opinion the proposal lacks ambition and falls far short of what might be hoped and what is desirable and feasible;
  • believes that conflicts that are not solely cross-border in nature and those that do not arise exclusively from online transactions should also be covered by the system;
  • does not agree that such mechanisms could also cover complaints by traders against consumers;
  • urges the Commission to clarify how the more complex issues which may arise in certain online disputes may be resolved by means of the platform;
  • has serious reservations regarding the deadlines set in the proposal;
  • recommends that the Commission adopt a quality assurance scheme for the system to be set up, proposes that trustmarks be set up by accredited and authorised entities, and advocates including a reference to dispute resolution through this online platform in codes of conduct;
  • recommends that the issue of funding be addressed explicitly and head-on;
  • believes that too many crucial aspects of the system are left to future implementing or delegated acts, which might have consequences in terms of the instrument's legal security and certainty;
  • proposes a number of improvements to the text in order to make some requirements clearer and less ambiguous and their provisions more effective.

Previous EESC opinions:

For more information please contact the INT Section Secretariat