This conference will examine how the new European rules on consumer ADR have been transposed by national legislators and the impact that the new law will have in the ADR/ODR landscape.
The broad theme of the Conference is 'Consumer Alternative Dispute Resolution'. We aim to promote discussion that can help to identify best practices in national models so that they can inform the evolving design of consumer redress.
Consumer out-of-court redress in the EU is undergoing the most important changes in its history. This is due to the recent adoption of two legislative instruments: the ADR Directive and the ODR Regulation. The Directive, which must be implemented in all the Member States by July 2015, will ensure the availability of quality ADR entities for resolving domestic and cross-border consumer disputes. Businesses and online market places operating in the EU will need to notify consumers about these ADR entities. The ODR Regulation, which must be implemented six months later, will enable consumer disputes arising from e-commerce, whether domestic or cross-border, to be channelled through a European ODR platform.
The conference will analyse how traditional ADR schemes are implementing ODR technology and design processes that, inter alia, increase access to redress while discouraging unmeritorious claims, facilitate voluntary compliance of final outcomes, and encourage traders to tackle causes of complaints as well as consequences. The objective of the conference will therefore be to encourage the exchange of views on best practices so that they can inform the evolving design of consumer ADR models. The conference proceedings will appear next year in a book that published by Oxford University Press.
Who should attend?
The conference aims to bring together representative of consumer and business organisations, ADR practitioners, academics and policymakers.
Costs and booking
Support for this conference is provided by a grant from Nuffield Foundation as part of its Law and Society Program under the project of ‘Incentives for Effective Consumer Redress in the EU’.
There will be a charge of £150 per delegate to cover the conference materials, dinner, lunch and refreshments. Places are strictly limited and early booking is recommended to ensure you receive a place.
To book a place, please register
Location
The conference will take place in Leicester at College Court. Attendees can book room at this venue for £65, but early booking is also recommended.
