Directive (EU) 2025/2647 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2025 amending Directive 2013/11/EU on alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes and amending Directives (EU) 2015/2302, (EU) 2019/2161 and (EU) 2020/1828 following the discontinuation of the European Online Dispute Resolution Platform (Text with EEA relevance)

‘1 This Directive applies to procedures for the out-of-court resolution of domestic disputes, cross-border disputes and third-country trader disputes between a consumer resident in the Union and a trader through the intervention of an ADR entity which proposes or imposes a solution or brings the parties together with the aim of facilitating an amicable solution where a sales contract or service contract, including a contract for the supply of digital content or digital services, has been concluded between a consumer and a trader where the consumer pays or undertakes to pay the price, and a dispute arises relating to contractual obligations, including obligations stemming from the pre-contractual phase. This Directive also applies where the trader supplies or undertakes to supply digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium or a digital service to the consumer and the consumer provides or undertakes to provide personal data to the trader. This Directive does not apply to cases falling within the exceptions provided for in Article 3(1a) of Directive 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council .

Member States shall have in place measures to promote the participation of traders and consumers in ADR procedures.’

1 Member States shall ensure that, with regard to cross-border disputes, consumers and traders are able to obtain assistance to facilitate their access to the ADR entity or entities competent to deal with their cross-border dispute.

2 Each Member State shall designate an ADR contact point responsible for the task referred to in paragraph 1. Member States shall confer responsibility for the operation of the ADR contact points on their centre belonging to the European Consumer Centres Network, or, if not possible, on consumer organisations or on any other body dealing with consumer protection.

3 When requesting assistance in cross-border disputes, consumers shall use the ADR contact point in their place of residence, and traders shall use the ADR contact point in their place of establishment.

4 Member States shall ensure that, upon request, the ADR contact points facilitate communication between the parties and the competent ADR entity. Such facilitation shall include at least the following tasks: (a) assisting with the submission of the complaint and, where appropriate, relevant documentation; (b) supporting the parties, where necessary, by providing the results of machine translation of information, documentation or procedural rules; (c) providing the parties with general information on consumer rights at Union and at their national level; (d) providing the parties with explanations of the procedural rules applied by the specific ADR entities; (e) informing the consumer of other means of redress where a dispute cannot be resolved through an ADR procedure.

5 Member States may grant ADR contact points the right to provide the assistance referred to in this Article to consumers and traders when accessing ADR entities with regard to domestic disputes.

6 Member States shall require that, in performing their activities, all actors assisting consumers in cross-border or domestic disputes provide relevant information to consumers in full transparency, including information regarding procedural rules and any applicable fees, and do so acting in good faith.’

In Article 7(2) of Directive (EU) 2015/2302, point (g) is replaced by the following: ‘(g) information on available in-house complaint handling procedures and on alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) mechanisms pursuant to Directive 2013/11/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council and, where applicable, on the ADR entity by which the trader is covered;

In Article 5 of Directive (EU) 2019/2161, point (b) is replaced by the following: ‘(b) submit a complaint to the competent centre of the European Consumer Centres Network, depending on the parties involved.’.

In Annex I to Directive (EU) 2020/1828, point (44) is deleted.

1 By 20 March 2028, Member States shall adopt and publish the measures necessary to comply with Articles 1 to 4 of this Directive. They shall immediately inform the Commission thereof. They shall apply those measures from 20 September 2028.

2 When Member States adopt the measures referred to in paragraph 1, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. The methods of making such reference shall be laid down by Member States.

3 Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main measures of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.

This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.