Your new phone breaks in no time, but the seller drags their feet? An online shop from another EU country sends the wrong item and ignores emails? A streaming service charges you unfairly without refunds? All of this should become less commonplace.
The European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg on December 16th, 2025, sealed a quiet victory for consumer rights. It allows for bundling of similar complaints; force sellers to reply in 20 days, and add digital trackers for paperwork. Vulnerable buyers get phone or paper options; good riddance to old EU online platform.
The directive, known technically as 2023/0376(COD), passed without amendments in its second reading. MEP Laura Ballarín Cereza (S&D/ESP), rapporteur for the IMCO committee, steered it through.
The Commission proposed the changes on October 17th, 2023. The update aims to fit the digital age, as proponents argue. E-commerce had grown from two to four per cent of EU GDP since 2013. ADR entities handle 300,000 disputes yearly, with resolution rates from 17 to 100 per cent across member states. The update extends ADR to pre-contractual disputes, digital services and cases with no payment. Member states could broaden it further.
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A host of improvements
Geographical scope widened too. Consumers could use ADR against non-EU traders if both sides agreed. Cross-border rules clarified: a consumer in one member state versus a trader in another or outside the EU. ADR bodies gained powers to bundle similar cases, unless consumers objected. Traders must reply within 20 working days, or 30 for complex ones.
A digital tool would track complaints. Vulnerable consumers get non-digital options. The old online dispute resolution platform vanished. IMCO took the lead. It adopted Ms Ballarín Cereza’s initial report unanimously on February 22nd, 2024.
Trilogues followed. Parliament set its first-reading position on March 13th, 2024. Negotiations opened in January 2025. Talks on February 20th, May 19th and June 26th produced a provisional deal. Coreper approved it on July 16th. IMCO endorsed the text on September 25th.
An uneventful passage
Ms Ballarín Cereza reported back on the final trilogue on July 15th. The committee chair wrote to Coreper on October 2nd. She recommended plenary acceptance without changes, pending legal-linguistic tweaks. The Council published its position on November 20th. The Commission welcomed the “constructive atmosphere” in a November 26th communication.
IMCO referred the file for second reading on November 27th. The committee voted on December 4th. It tabled its recommendation, A10-0249/2025, the next day. No controversies erupted. Businesses might grumble at trader reply deadlines. Yet the process stayed smooth.
The ADR item slipped in the plenary agenda quietly. MEPs had backed earlier IMCO drafts unanimously—40 votes to zero in one case. The second-reading vote mirrored that consensus. Parliament endorsed the Council text.
Clarification on the way
The deal boosts trader participation. It clarifies pre- and post-contract issues, like misleading ads. Consumers gain awareness and access. ADR becomes simpler for cross-border e-commerce spats. Member states must transpose it soon.
The Commission endorsed the outcome. It fits the digital single market. No one raised alarms over burdens or bundling. Ms Ballarín Cereza’s report reflected trilogue compromises: safeguards for consumers, incentives for traders. Parliament’s nod paves formal Council adoption.
Europe’s shoppers stand to benefit. Disputes over digital content or non-EU sellers get fairer out-of-court paths. The directive, once law, modernises a decade-old framework.
