Deadline: 18-Jul-23
The European Commission (EC) is offering action grants to provide financial contributions to organisations representing consumer interests in Members States or offering assistance to consumers in Member States in the form of Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Objectives
- The aim of this Call for proposals is to facilitate the consumers’ access to effective and efficient alternative dispute resolution entities including awareness-raising, protection to vulnerable consumers, networking of national alternative dispute resolution entities at national and EU-wide levels, cooperation with national enforcement bodies, the use of transparent digital tools, and good governance.
- A strong EU ADR framework would entice consumers to opt for ADR notably to resolve low-value disputes which would in return help in detecting rogue traders on the single market and create a more level-playing field for traders that comply with the EU consumer protection legislation. This echoes the Consumer Agenda adopted in November 2020 which aims at supporting the digital transition and strengthening the enforcement of consumer rights.
Funding Information
- The available call budget is EUR 1 000 000.
- Duration: Projects should normally have a duration of up to 36 months.
Expected Impact
The expected results of these actions are:
- To raise awareness among consumers and traders and increase consumer trust in ADR;
- To increase accessibility of ADR entities to consumers, including in a cross border context;
- To improve ADR operational capacity in resolving consumer disputes;
- To incentivise ADR entities to introduce and/or develop digital tools in ADR.
Activities that can be funded (scope)
- Awareness raising on consumer ADR, including ADR networks, bringing knowledge on ADR to a wider group of consumers and/or traders (e.g. campaigns, more user-friendly information on ADR, incentives for traders to engage more in ADR, etc.).
- ADR networks support: meetings, conferences, development of common tools and common knowledge to improve networking and sharing of best practices at national, regional or EU-wide levels.
- Case handling: development of case management systems, including information technology tools, for instance, online migration of the case handling process to facilitate better and rapid screening and assessment of cases, communication with the parties to the disputes, case tracking, automatic translation, development of inclusive and accessible tools and processes, etc.
- ADR operational capacity: staff training on the relevant European legislation, mentoring, study visits, data sharing with other stakeholders, and consulting to allow ADR entities to implement working methods and organisational models to better fulfil their mission.
- Prototyping or purchasing tools based on artificial intelligence to improve signposting or to assist and simplify the decision-making process.
- Performing statistical analysis of complaints and requests by consumers to determine common problems.
Eligibility Criteria
- In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
- be legal entities (public or private bodies)
- be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
- non-EU countries
- be, on the date of the submission of the proposal, an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) entity notified to the European Commission
- Specific cases
- Exceptional funding — Entities from other countries are exceptionally eligible, if the granting authority considers their participation essential for the implementation of the action.
- Natural persons — Natural persons are NOT eligible (with the exception of selfemployed persons, i.e. sole traders, where the company does not have legal personality separate from that of the natural person).
- International organisations — International organisations are not eligible. The rules on eligible countries do not apply to them.
- Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees for the protection of the EU financial interests equivalent to that offered by legal persons.
- EU bodies — EU bodies (with the exception of the European Commission Joint Research Centre) can NOT be part of the consortium.
For more information, visit European Commission (EC).