· Arbitration
· Other Out-of-Court
Dispute Resolution
Conciliation
Conciliation aims at creating mutual consent between disputing parties by means of a compromise suggested by the conciliator. Should this turn out to be impossible, the proficiency of the conciliator plays an important role, as he/she will enable the parties to resume their dialogue and continue working on a solution acceptable to both sides.Collaborative Practice
Like Mediation, Collaborative Practice (CP) is based on facilitative principles. But unlike in Mediation the parties are represented by their own attorneys who facilitate the discussion in accordance with an agreement. If necessary, the parties also exchange financial information. All information and the whole process remain strictly confidential, parties have to participate with integrity and respect. If the method fails, attorneys involved in CP procedure are not allowed to go to court, thus guaranteeing confidentiality of any given information.Negotiation
Negotiation is a dialogue intended to resolve disputes, to produce an agreement, to bargain for individual or collective advantage. A negotiator is often an expert in this field and uses his expertise and various negotiating tactics to achieve the best outcome for the party he or she represents.Ombudsperson
An ombudsperson is an independent and/or official body, usually appointed by the government, the parliament, non-governmental institutions or corporations. He/she is appointed to represent public or consumer interests by investigating and addressing complaints reported by individuals. Certain businesses such as banks, insurance companies or bar associations set up an impartial Ombudsperson to solve conflicts between them and a customer or client. Ombudsperson decisions are binding on the businesses taking part in these programs. If a consumer or client is not satisfied with the decision, he/she can still take his case to court.ECC-Net
The European Union launched the European Consumers Network (ECC-NET) in 2005 to assist European Union citizens in issues related to cross-border shopping. The network already consists of 29 European Consumer Centers (in 27 Member States, Iceland and Norway) cooperating to keep consumers informed and assisting in the resolution of cross-border complaints and disputes.Frequently, the ECC-Net helps complaining consumers reach an agreement via an Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism (ADR).
ECC-Net cooperates with further EU-wide networks that provide essential information on European Union law, national legislation and case-law – the European Judicial Network for example is concerned with improving the implementation of civil and commercial law, SOLVIT addresses problems arising from misapplication of Internal Market rules and FIN-NET is an out-of-court network for financial services.