A Study On Alternative Dispute Resolution And Cross Border Complaints In Europe

4. THE NORDIC ADR SYSTEMS

Despite the growing national and international regulatory framework to support cross-border mediation, the use of such mediation appears to remain stubbornly low. This book focuses in particular on the European Union’s (EU’s) continued efforts to encourage the use of cross-border mediation and examines why such efforts have had a limited impact. It does so by drawing on rare, and at times surprising, detailed insights from in-house counsel of multinational companies regarding their use of EU cross-border commercial mediation. By viewing mediation through the lens of disputants, new and important findings regarding why disputants do, and do not, use cross-border mediation have emerged. While these findings are of primary relevance to EU policy and practice, they have implications far beyond the EU context at a time of increasing international interest in cross-border mediation. The analysis of the insights provided by the disputants reveals, for example: the prominent role played by negotiation as a cross-border dispute resolution process; that negotiation is a key comparator for disputants when considering whether to use mediation; how the EU’s continued focus on understanding and presenting mediation as an alternative to litigation has resulted in measures which are insufficient to address fully the barriers to the use of mediation; intriguing barriers to the use of mediation which arise from the association which disputants draw between mediation and negotiation; how the relationship which disputants draw between mediation and negotiation paradoxically raises both opportunities for, and obstacles to, the increased use of mediation; and what disputants need in order to increase their use of cross-border mediation. The qualitative nature (by way of interviews) of the research conducted for this book has enabled the identification of nuanced and novel findings regarding mediation’s position and potential in cross-border dispute resolution. These findings, together with a detailed examination of the EU Directive on Certain Aspects of Mediation in Civil and Commercial Matters and the EU’s continued initiatives to foster the use of mediation, form the foundation upon which this book’s recommendations are built. Changing the frame to view the use of mediation through the disputants’ perspective, as this book does, provides the opportunity for the EU to promote cross-border mediation in a way which resonates more deeply with disputants and responds more fully to their concerns and needs. This thought-provoking book will be of interest not only to European and national bodies seeking to promote the use of mediation but clearly also to dispute resolution academics, in-house counsel, and of course mediators and dispute resolution practitioners in general.

This is the first systematic comparative study into how consumer ADR systems (usually ombudsmen and médiateurs) work, the differing national architectures within which they operate and how they can be improved. It describes ADR schemes in Belgium, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom as well as emerging pan-EU dispute resolution schemes. Use of the techniques of mediation, conciliation and adjudication are noted. It also covers EU measures on consumer ADR, and 2011 proposals for legislation on ADR and ODR. Data on volumes, cost and duration of ADR schemes are compared, both between different systems and with courts. The authors' findings underpin EU and national developments, and outline options for future policy. Findings and proposals are included for the functions, scope, performance, essential requirements, architecture and operation of ADR systems. The relationships between ADR, courts and regulators are discussed, and need for reforms are noted. This is a ground-breaking work that will have a major impact on European legal systems. This title is included in Bloomsbury Professional's International Arbitration online service.

The contributions in this book cover a wide range of topics within modern disputeresolution, which can be summarised as follows: harmonisation, enforcement andalternative dispute resolution. In particular, it looks into the impact of harmonisedEU law on national rules of civil procedure and addresses the lack of harmonisationin the US regarding the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. Furthermore,the law on enforcement is examined, not only by focusing on US law, but also onhow to attach assets in order to enforce a judgment. Finally, it addresses certain typesof alternative dispute resolution. In addition, the book looks into the systems andcultures of dispute resolution in several regions of the world, such as the EU, the US andChina, that have a high impact on globalisation. Hence, the book is diverse in the senseof dealing with multiple issues in the field of modern dispute resolution./div The book offers explorations of the impact of international rules and EU law on domesticcivil procedure, through case studies from, among others, the US, China, Belgium andthe Netherlands. The relevance of EU law for the national debate and its impact on theregulation of civil procedure is also considered. Furthermore, several contributions discussthe necessity and possibility of harmonisation in the emergency arbitrator mechanisms inthe EU. The harmonisation of private international law rules within the EU, particularlythose of a procedural nature, is juxtaposed to the lack thereof in the US. Also, the bookoffers an overview of the current dispute settlement mechanisms in China. The publication is primarily meant for legal academics in private international law andcivil procedure. It will also prove useful to practitioners regularly engaged in cross-borderdispute resolution and will be of added value to advanced students, as well as to those withan interest in international litigation and more generally in the area of dispute resolution. Vesna Lazić is Senior Researcher at the T.M.C. Asser Institute, Associate Professor ofPrivate Law at Utrecht University and Professor of European Civil Procedure at theUniversity of Rijeka. Steven Stuij is an expert in Private International Law and a PhD Candidate/GuestResearcher at the Erasmus School of Law, Rotterdam. Ton Jongbloed is Guest Editor on this volume./div

A PDF version of this book is available for free in open access via www.tandfebooks.com as well as the OAPEN Library platform, www.oapen.org. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license and is part of the OAPEN-UK research project. E-commerce offers immense challenges to traditional dispute resolution methods, as it entails parties often located in different parts of the world making contracts with each other at the click of a mouse. The use of traditional litigation for disputes arising in this forum is often inconvenient, impractical, time-consuming and expensive due to the low value of the transactions and the physical distance between the parties. Thus modern legal systems face a crucial choice: either to adopt traditional dispute resolution methods that have served the legal systems well for hundreds of years or to find new methods which are better suited to a world not anchored in territorial borders. Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), originally an off-shoot of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), takes advantage of the speed and convenience of the Internet, becoming the best, and often the only option for enhancing consumer redress and strengthening their trust in e-commerce. This book provides an in-depth account of the potential of ODR for European consumers, offering a comprehensive and up to date analysis of the development of ODR. It considers the current expansion of ODR and evaluates the challenges posed in its growth. The book proposes the creation of legal standards to close the gap between the potential of ODR services and their actual use, arguing that ODR, if it is to realise its full potential in the resolution of e-commerce disputes and in the enforcement of consumer rights, must be grounded firmly on a European regulatory model.

For many businesses, mediation is seen as a swifter and cost-effective alternative to conventional forms of dispute resolution. Although its acceptance by policymakers in Europe has been slow, the recent development by various EU Member States of legal and institutional frameworks for commercial mediation have been complemented by a European framework for cross-border civil and commercial mediation, the EU Directive on Certain Aspects of Mediation in Civil and Commercial Matters. This extraordinary book, the first thorough analysis of the current state of commercial mediation practice in Europe, is based on face-to-face interviews and responses to questionnaires involving the participation of 25 renowned European mediators, with complementary contributions by 20 business people who have used mediation extensively. Among the areas of interest that arise are the following: typical areas of application of commercial mediation; types of disputes where commercial mediation is most beneficial; reasons why companies opt for mediation; dispute stages at which mediation may be most useful; length of the mediation process; costs of the process; likely causes of the considerable guardedness of enterprises against mediation; the role lawyers play as gatekeepers; the power factor and other imbalances; the role of provider agencies; and various approaches to mediation style. Participants have been chosen from Austria, Germany, France, England, Scotland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, with the aim of including all the dominant European legal traditions. There are numerous case studies, including the role of mediation in such major projects as the Vienna Airport, the Eurotunnel, and the Øresund link bridge. The book contributes to the further professionalism of ADR in Europe by providing accurate information on the functionality of the process and its attainable results. In addition to describing the professional performance of European mediators working in the world of business, the author’s analysis crystallizes the processes, models, and strategies that characterize the practice of commercial mediation in Europe. With this book potential clients, practicing mediators, lawmakers, and other decisionmakers can base their actions on reliable scientific findings proven by practical experience.

Of the ODR movement and review of the relevant literature / Marta Poblet -- Definitions of online dispute resolution / Simon Thomson & Avrom Sherr -- ODR and trans-border disputes / Przemysław Pecherzewski & Piotr Rodziewicz -- EU regulation on ODR : an introduction and some thoughts / Graham Ross -- Normative and positive developments in the field of online dispute resolution : the European Union level / Bilyana Gyaurova-Wegertseder -- What dispute resolution tasks to support with ODR, and how to support them / Jelle van Veenen -- Measuring the costs of ODR / Martin Gramatikov -- Quality of ODR procedures / Laura Klaming -- Dimension of the quality of the outcome of dispute resolution processes / Martin Gramatikov & Robert Porter.

Despite slow progress in use, mediation continues to consolidate its presence in dispute resolution. This important book argues that a more favourable socio-legal climate must be created for mediation to thrive, and accordingly analyses the legal, cultural, social, systemic and spatial aspects of the use of mediation in the legal practice of the different countries of the European Union (EU). Based on a spatiotemporal analysis and models of mediation in the EU, it pinpoints the social and cultural reasons for the fragmentation of its legal regulation and shows what paths are available to promote the effective implementation of mediation in social practice. It is the first book to capture the socio-legal context of mediation. A spatiotemporal analysis of the extent of use of mediation in a region as large and at the same time as diverse as the EU has never been carried out before. Using various methodological and conceptual approaches to analyse the legal and social aspects of introducing mediation to legal systems, the authors – all with long-term experience in the exercise and research of mediation directly in the field – provide invaluable insights into such facets of the use of mediation as the following: the social context that raises the need for mediation; obstacles to the wider use of mediation in resolving disputes between parties; the effects of social influences reflected in legislation that shape the laws of each country; the basic models that make up the system of access to mediation in specific EU Member States; the role of law as a tool for social change and its reflection in the legal regulation of mediation; and perspectives for further development of mediation in the EU. The legislative efforts proposed to enhance the regulation of mediation in EU countries are based on modern knowledge of law, sociology and psychology. As a unique combination of exploration of the theoretical determinants of mediation and an empirical study of the extent of its use in the European area, this book’s fundamental contribution to the legal theory and practice of mediation is inarguable. Its analysis of mediation from three perspectives – as a means of improving citizens’ access to justice, as a means of applying social justice in society, and as a means of restorative justice – are of the utmost value in today’s global society. For users of mediation, EU institutions involved in mediation, EU Member State authorities addressing the issue of mediation, and the wider dispute resolution community worldwide, the book will be welcomed for the giant steps it takes toward refining arguments for the promotion of mediation and its development, in theory, research and practice.