CHAPTER IVTHE ROLE OF COMPETENT AUTHORITIES AND THE COMMISSION
Article 18Designation of competent authorities
1
Each Member State shall designate a competent authority which shall carry out the functions set out in Articles 19 and 20. Each Member State may designate more than one competent authority. If a Member State does so, it shall determine which of the competent authorities designated is the single point of contact for the Commission. Each Member State shall communicate the competent authority or, where appropriate, the competent authorities, including the single point of contact it has designated, to the Commission.
2
The Commission shall establish a list of the competent authorities including, where appropriate, the single point of contact communicated to it in accordance with paragraph 1, and publish that list in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Article 19Information to be notified to competent authorities by dispute resolution entities
1
Member States shall ensure that dispute resolution entities established on their territories, which intend to qualify as ADR entities under this Directive and be listed in accordance with Article 20(2), notify to the competent authority the following:
a
their name, contact details and website address;
b
information on their structure and funding, including information on the natural persons in charge of dispute resolution, their remuneration, term of office and by whom they are employed;
c
their procedural rules;
d
their fees, if applicable;
e
the average length of the dispute resolution procedures;
f
the language or languages in which complaints can be submitted and the dispute resolution procedure conducted;
g
a statement on the types of disputes covered by the dispute resolution procedure;
h
the grounds on which the dispute resolution entity may refuse to deal with a given dispute in accordance with Article 5(4);
i
a reasoned statement on whether the entity qualifies as an ADR entity falling within the scope of this Directive and complies with the quality requirements set out in Chapter II.
In the event of changes to the information referred to in points (a) to (h), ADR entities shall without undue delay notify those changes to the competent authority.
2
Where Member States decide to allow procedures as referred to in point (a) of Article 2(2), they shall ensure that ADR entities applying such procedures notify to the competent authority, in addition to the information and statements referred to in paragraph 1, the information necessary to assess their compliance with the specific additional requirements of independence and transparency set out in Article 6(3).
3
Member States shall ensure that ADR entities communicate to the competent authorities every two years information on:
a
the number of disputes received and the types of complaints to which they related;
b
the percentage share of ADR procedures which were discontinued before an outcome was reached;
c
the average time taken to resolve the disputes received;
d
the rate of compliance, if known, with the outcomes of the ADR procedures;
e
any systematic or significant problems that occur frequently and lead to disputes between consumers and traders. The information communicated in this regard may be accompanied by recommendations as to how such problems can be avoided or resolved in future;
f
where applicable, an assessment of the effectiveness of their cooperation within networks of ADR entities facilitating the resolution of cross-border disputes;
g
where applicable, the training provided to natural persons in charge of ADR in accordance with Article 6(6);
h
an assessment of the effectiveness of the ADR procedure offered by the entity and of possible ways of improving its performance.
Article 20Role 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.