Online Settlement of Cross-Border Disputes: Architecture of the Regulatory Environment for Consumer Disputes (European Union Experience)

The increasing complexity and digitalization of cross-border relations are an unconditional stimulus for the development and popularization of online dispute resolution mechanisms. The paper examines the European Union experience in regulating modern online mechanisms for resolving consumer disputes and attempts to determine the hierarchy of regulatory acts in relation to online resolution (settlement) of cross-border private law disputes. The author analyzes the features of the European approach to regulating the system of online resolution of crossborder disputes in order to determine the possible vector of development of national legislation as a condition necessary for building and ensuring the functioning of an effective system. The paper notes the advantages and disadvantages of the European system of online settlement of cross-border disputes with the participation of consumers. It concludes that it is necessary to resolve the issue of the applicability of the norms of existing treaties, adapt national legislation to the specifics of online dispute resolution, as well as ensure the possibility of considering cross-border disputes with consumer participation in accordance with standardized rules in order to simplify the dispute resolution procedure and build trust in the online system.

1. Zasemkova O. F. Mezhdunarodnoe chastnoe pravo v XXI veke: sovremennye vyzovy i perspektivy razvitiya // Lex russica (Russkij zakon). — 2019. — № 11. — S. 30–36.

2. Inshakova A. O., Tymchuk Yu. A. Cifrovye tekhnologii al’ternativnyh metodov razresheniya sporov: zarubezhnaya praktika i perspektivy primeneniya v Rossii // Pravo i upravlenie. XXI vek. — 2018. — № 1. — S. 23–31.

3. Mazhorina M. V. Mezhdunarodnoe chastnoe pravo v usloviyah globalizacii: ot razgosudarstvleniya k fragmentacii // Pravo. Zhurnal Vysshej shkoly ekonomiki. — 2018. — № 1. — S. 193–217.

4. Mazhorina M. V. Setevaya paradigma mezhdunarodnogo chastnogo prava: konturirovanie koncepcii // Aktual’nye problemy rossijskogo prava. — 2019. — № 4. — S. 140–159.

5. Mazhorina M. V. O kollizii prava i «neprava», renovacii lex mercatoria, smart-kontraktah i blokchejnarbitrazhe // Lex russica (Russkij zakon). — 2019. — № 7. — S. 93–107.

6. Muratova O. V. Koncepciya transnacional’nogo potrebitel’skogo prava v sovremennom mire // Lex russica. — 2019. — № 7. — S. 20–28.

7. Reznik R. S. Al’ternativnye sposoby razresheniya mezhdunarodnyh sporov iz dogovorov s uchastiem potrebitelya // Pravo. Zhurnal Vysshej shkoly ekonomiki. — 2017. — № 1. — S. 111–121.

8. Sposoby razresheniya sporov v raznosistemnyh pravoporyadkah / Yu. A. Artem’eva, E. A. Borisova, E. P. Ermakova [i dr.]. — M. : Infotropik Media, 2017. — 424 s.

9. Cirina M. A. Osnovnye napravleniya sozdaniya elektronnoj sistemy al’ternativnyh mekhanizmov razresheniya sporov // Administrativnoe pravo i process. — 2019. — № 4. — S. 53–56.

10. Cifrovoe pravo : uchebnik / A. Dyuflo, L. V. Andreeva, V. V. Blazheev [i dr.] ; pod obshch. red. V. V. Blazheeva, M. A. Egorovoj. — M. : Prospekt, 2020. — 640 s.

11. Cortes P. and Lodder A. R. Consumer Dispute Resolution Goes Online: Reflections on the Evolution of European Law for Out-of-Court Redress // Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law. — 2014. — March 24. — № 1.

12. de Witt N. Online International Arbitration: Nine Issues Crucial to its Success // 12 American Review of International Arbitration. — 2001. — 441.

13. Loutocký P. Online Dispute Resolution to Resolve Consumer Disputes from the Perspective of European Union Law: Is the Potential of ODR Fully Used? // Masaryk University Journal of Law and Technology. — 2016. — Vol. 10:1. — P. 113–127.

14. Schmidt-Kessen M. J., Nogueira R. and Marta C. G. Success or Failure? — Effectiveness of Consumer ODR Platforms in Brazil and in the EU : CBS LAW Research Paper // Copenhagen Business School. — April 19, 2019. — № 19–17.

15. Schultz Th. An Essay on the Role of Government for ODR: Theoretical Considerations About the Future of ODR // Online Dispute Resolution (ODR): Technology as the ‘Fourth Party’. — 2003.