As we had anticipated at the end of 2012, last Tuesday the Parliament approved the proposed ADR directive and ODR regulation. The instruments, whose negotiation took almost one and a half year, will enter into force 20 days after their publication in the OJ. After that, their implementation will be partially left to the Member States, who have to ensure the availability of ADR bodies for every business sector, at no or nominal cost to the consumer.
In the meantime, a EU-wide platform for the on-line resolution of disputes arising from internet transactions will be set up, which should be available to consumers in their mother language and "direct" their claims to the appropriate ADR body.
The proposals received wide support in the Parliament, where they were approved with over 600 favourable votes. This mirrors the Commission's high expectations with regard to the potential of a fully operational, EU-wide ADR network, which will now have a chance to be put to a test.
