Consumer Protection for a Europe without Borders

Minister Kitt seeks to increase the Irish presence in the Community-wide network of alternative dispute resolutions bodies

The Minister for Labour, Trade and Consumer Affairs, Tom Kitt, T.D., today (Tuesday, 16th October 2001) affirmed Ireland's support for the Community wide network of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) bodies, known as the EEJ-Net.

The EEJ-Net is an evolving initiative, spearheaded by Commissioner Byrne, which links together those bodies in the EU providing consumers with an alternative to going to court in order to resolve a disputed transaction for goods or services. "Clearly, consumers will always have the right to go to court if they so wish," the Minister said, "but ADR has the advantage of being much cheaper, quicker and less complex legally".

Consumer Ministers in the EU have agreed a common set of principles which ADR bodies must comply with in order to be eligible for official notification to the European Commission for membership of the EEJ- Net. Up to the present, Minister Kitt has had 6 Irish bodies notified. Information about the principles concerned, and about the bodies notified to date by each Member State can be found on the Commission's website at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/consumers/policy/developments/.../acce_just04_en.html

Minister Kitt recalled that, for consumers in Ireland, the Small Claims Procedure and the Small Claims Court have normally fulfilled the core functions of an ADR body, in respect of complaints up to a monetary ceiling of £1,000. He stressed that he nevertheless wanted to make sure that the Irish presence in the EEJ-Net was at full strength. He called on any body which, having examined the information on the Commission website, considered it could qualify for notification, to contact his Department by e-mail at conspol@entemp.ie

The Minister recognised that, up to now, the focus in this country had tended to be on the best ways to ensure protection for Irish consumers. There was a logic to that approach, since Ireland's position as an island on the periphery meant that the number of cross border transactions by consumers was comparatively small. However, the Minister saw the need for a longer-term vision. "Our inter-dependence within the EU can be expected to deepen according as

• the Single Market reaches completion
• the Single Currency takes effect
• travel within the EU continues
• B2C (business to consumer) transactions via the Internet develop".

"That is the context for the next stage in building the EEJ-Net, which will be to set up a single contact point in each Member State on a pilot basis over a period of 12 months," the Minister said, "and I am sure that this latest development would be especially helpful for consumers in the case of transactions concerning those Member States with large numbers of ADR bodies". Given the different decision making processes and budgetary procedures in the Member States, the timing for implementation of the pilot phase had deliberately been left flexible. Participation by all 15 is forseen by New Year 2002. Following on-going monitoring by Member States and the Commission throughout 2002, an official launch is planned around the Internal Market and Consumer Council during the Danish Presidency in November, 2002.

Notes for Editors

Contact details for ADR/out-of-court settlement bodies notified to the Commission (DG SANCO)

Geoffrey Corry
Board Director
Centre for Dispute Resolution
95 Stillorgan Wood
Stillorgan
Co. Dublin
Telephone: 2884190 - Fax: 2783453
E-mail: corry@indigo.ie

Caroline Gill
Insurance Ombudsman of Ireland
32 Upper Merrion Street
Dublin 2
Telephone: 6620899 - Fax: 6620890
Web site: www.ombudsman-insurance.ie
E-mail: enquiries@ombudsman-insurance.ie

Edward McCumiskey
Chief Executive
The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI)
IPC House
35-39 Shelbourne Road
Ballsbridge
Dublin 4
Telephone: 6608766 - Fax: 6608113
Web site: http://www.asai.ie/
E-mail: info@asai.ie

Denis Henderson
Arbitrator
ELCOM
Electricity Supply Board Consumer Complaints Arbitrator
39 Merrion Square
Dublin 2
Telephone: 7026535 - Fax: 6619034
Web site: www.esb.ie/main/energy_home/customer_complaints.jsp
E-mail: gerry.greene@mail.esb.ie

Michael Moran
Chairman
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Irish Branch)
8 Merrion Square
Dublin 2
Telephone: 662 7867 - Fax: 6627891
Web site:www.arbitration.ie
E-mail: ciarb@arbitration.ie

Gerry Murphy
The Ombudsman for Credit Institutions
8 Adelaide Court
Dublin 2
Telephone: 4783755 - Fax: 4780157
E-mail: ombudsman@creditombudsman.ie