Directive 2013/11/EU of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 20 U.K. Role of the competent authorities and of the Commission

1. Each competent authority shall assess, in particular on the basis of the information it has received in accordance with Article 19(1), whether the dispute resolution entities notified to it qualify as ADR entities falling within the scope of this Directive and comply with the quality requirements set out in Chapter II and in national provisions implementing it, including national provisions going beyond the requirements of this Directive, in conformity with Union law.

2. Each competent authority shall, on the basis of the assessment referred to in paragraph 1, list all the ADR entities that have been notified to it and fulfil the conditions set out in paragraph 1.

That list shall include the following:

(a) the name, the contact details and the website addresses of the ADR entities referred to in the first subparagraph;

(b) their fees, if applicable;

(c) the language or languages in which complaints can be submitted and the ADR procedure conducted;

(d) the types of disputes covered by the ADR procedure;

(e) the sectors and categories of disputes covered by each ADR entity;

(f) the need for the physical presence of the parties or of their representatives, if applicable, including a statement by the ADR entity on whether the ADR procedure is or can be conducted as an oral or a written procedure;

(g) the binding or non-binding nature of the outcome of the procedure; and

(h) the grounds on which the ADR entity may refuse to deal with a given dispute in accordance with Article 5(4).

Each competent authority shall notify the list referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph to the Commission. If any changes are notified to the competent authority in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 19(1), that list shall be updated without undue delay and the relevant information notified to the Commission.

If a dispute resolution entity listed as ADR entity under this Directive no longer complies with the requirements referred to in paragraph 1, the competent authority concerned shall contact that dispute resolution entity, stating the requirements the dispute resolution entity fails to comply with and requesting it to ensure compliance immediately. If the dispute resolution entity after a period of three months still does not fulfil the requirements referred to in paragraph 1, the competent authority shall remove the dispute resolution entity from the list referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph. That list shall be updated without undue delay and the relevant information notified to the Commission.

3. If a Member State has designated more than one competent authority, the list and its updates referred to in paragraph 2 shall be notified to the Commission by the single point of contact referred to in Article 18(1). That list and those updates shall relate to all ADR entities established in that Member State.

4. The Commission shall establish a list of the ADR entities notified to it in accordance with paragraph 2 and update that list whenever changes are notified to the Commission. The Commission shall make publicly available that list and its updates on its website and on a durable medium. The Commission shall transmit that list and its updates to the competent authorities. Where a Member State has designated a single point of contact in accordance with Article 18(1), the Commission shall transmit that list and its updates to the single point of contact.

5. Each competent authority shall make publicly available the consolidated list of ADR entities referred to in paragraph 4 on its website by providing a link to the relevant Commission website. In addition, each competent authority shall make publicly available that consolidated list on a durable medium.

6. By 9 July 2018, and every four years thereafter, each competent authority shall publish and send to the Commission a report on the development and functioning of ADR entities. That report shall in particular:

(a) identify best practices of ADR entities;

(b) point out the shortcomings, supported by statistics, that hinder the functioning of ADR entities for both domestic and cross-border disputes, where appropriate;

(c) make recommendations on how to improve the effective and efficient functioning of ADR entities, where appropriate.

7. If a Member State has designated more than one competent authority in accordance with Article 18(1), the report referred to in paragraph 6 of this Article shall be published by the single point of contact referred to in Article 18(1). That report shall relate to all ADR entities established in that Member State.