Email survey – Competent Authorities supervising or overseeing ADR bodies in the financial sector
Thank you for contributing to this study. This questionnaire aims to gather information on the supervision, operation and performance of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) bodies in the financial sector in your Member State. Unless otherwise indicated, please provide information covering all ADR bodies in the financial sector that fall within your authority’s remit, aggregated at national level. Please tick the relevant boxes for multiple-choice questions and provide brief explanations where requested. Where available, please include references to relevant legislation, public reports or websites. If data are unavailable, please indicate this clearly.
1. General information and ADR coverage
1. Member State: Click here to enter text.
2. Name of competent authority: Click here to enter text.
3. Number of ADR bodies in the financial sector currently supervised or overseen by your authority: Click here to enter text.
4. Which financial sectors are covered by these ADR bodies? (Tick all that apply.)
☐ Banking / deposits
☐ Insurance
☐ Investment / securities
☐ Payment services / e-money
☐ Consumer credit
☐ Mortgages
☐ Pensions
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
5. To ensure that we interpret the information provided consistently across Member States, please provide the definitions you use for the following terms:
ADR body: Click here to enter text.
Complaint received: Click here to enter text.
Admissible case: Click here to enter text.
Closed case: Click here to enter text.
Cross-border dispute: Click here to enter text.
Decision / outcome: Click here to enter text.
6. Are there any gaps in ADR coverage in the financial sector in your Member State (for example, particular sectors, products, types of dispute, or geographic areas not covered)?(Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please describe: Click here to enter text.
2. Supervisory framework
7. Which of the following activities are part of your authority’s role in relation to ADR bodies? (Tick all that apply.)
☐ Authorisation, approval or designation of ADR bodies
☐ Ongoing monitoring, supervision or oversight
☐ Audits, inspections or file reviews
☐ Assessment of performance indicators (KPIs)
☐ Handling complaints about ADR bodies
☐ Enforcement or corrective measures
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
8. Does your authority require ADR bodies to submit regular reports or data? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes, on a mandatory basis
☐ Yes, on a voluntary basis
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please indicate what is reported, how often, and in what format: Click here to enter text.
9. Are ADR bodies required to publish information on their activities and performance (for example, through annual reports, websites or statistics)? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please provide details or links, where available: Click here to enter text.
10. Does your authority require ADR bodies to report on any of the following indicators? (Tick all that apply.)
☐ Resolution rate
☐ Number of complaints / cases handled
☐ Number of admissible cases
☐ Number of closed cases
☐ Compliance with decisions or outcomes
☐ Time taken to resolve cases
☐ User satisfaction
☐ Number or share of cross-border cases
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
11. Does your authority have powers to take corrective or enforcement action where an ADR body fails to meet applicable legal or supervisory requirements? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please describe the available measures and the circumstances in which they may be used. If possible, please provide an anonymised practical example: Click here to enter text.
12. How is ADR integrated into the broader judicial system in your Member State? (Tick all that apply.)
☐ ADR bodies are formally recognised or established in legislation.
☐ Courts may refer parties to ADR.
☐ Courts encourage parties to consider ADR before initiating litigation.
☐ ADR outcomes may be recognised or enforced through judicial procedures.
☐ ADR outcomes have no formal link with judicial proceedings.
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
Please explain briefly where the answer differs depending on the ADR body or procedure: Click here to enter text.
13. What are the main challenges your authority faces in supervising or overseeing ADR bodies? (Tick all that apply.)
☐ Ensuring the independence of ADR bodies
☐ Ensuring consistency across ADR bodies
☐ Limited availability of data
☐ Fragmentation of the ADR landscape
☐ Limited resources within the competent authority
☐ Legal or procedural uncertainty
☐ Limited enforcement or corrective powers
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
3. Coordination and cross-border aspects
14. Does your authority cooperate with authorities in other Member States on ADR-related issues? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please briefly describe the forms of cooperation (for example, information exchange, participation in networks, case-related cooperation, or good-practice sharing): Click here to enter text.
15. Are there specific procedures, protocols or cooperation mechanisms in place for handling cross-border financial disputes by means of ADR? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please briefly describe: Click here to enter text.
16. Are there any shared databases, case-tracking systems, common guidelines, or good-practice exchange mechanisms relating to ADR?
(a) within your Member State? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please briefly describe: Click here to enter text.
(b) with authorities or ADR bodies in other Member States? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please briefly describe: Click here to enter text.
4. Recourse to ADR
17. Please provide aggregated figures for all financial-sector ADR bodies within your authority’s remit for each of the last five full calendar years. If data are unavailable, please indicate “not available”. If your definitions of the categories below differ from the standard meaning, please explain briefly.
Year
Number of total complaints received
Number of admissible cases
Number of closed cases
2021



2022



2023



2024



2025




18. Overall, how has the use of ADR in the financial sector changed over this period in terms of volume of cases and general recourse by consumers? (Tick one response.)
☐ Increased
☐ Remained broadly stable
☐ Decreased
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
Please elaborate on your answer: Click here to enter text.
19. What are the main factors influencing this trend? (Tick all that apply.)
☐ Increased consumer awareness
☐ Regulatory or legislative changes
☐ Digitalisation of services or ADR procedures
☐ Increase in specific types of disputes (e.g. fraud)
☐ Changes in firms’ internal complaint-handling procedures
☐ Market or economic developments
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
Please elaborate on your answer: Click here to enter text.
5. Cross-border ADR
20. If available, what percentage of ADR cases in the financial sector involved cross-border disputes during the most recent full calendar year? Click here to enter text.
21. What are the main difficulties in handling cross-border cases? (Tick all that apply.)
☐ Jurisdiction issues
☐ Language barriers
☐ Differences in applicable law
☐ Difficulties in enforcing outcomes
☐ Lack of participation by financial services providers
☐ Lack of consumer awareness or accessibility
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
6. Outcomes of ADR cases
22. In the financial sector in your Member State, ADR outcomes are generally: (Tick one response.)
☐ Binding on both parties
☐ Binding on the financial service provider only
☐ Non-binding
☐ Mixed, depending on the ADR body or procedure
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
Please explain briefly, including the legal effect of ADR outcomes and any consequences of non-compliance: Click here to enter text.
7. Compliance and effectiveness
23. Is compliance with decisions or outcomes monitored? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please briefly describe by whom, how, and how frequently: Click here to enter text.
24. If known, what are the main reasons for non-compliance with ADR decisions or outcomes?
Please elaborate on your answer: Click here to enter text.
8. Efficiency
25. What is the average time to resolve a case (in days)? Click here to enter text.
26. To your knowledge, is the time required to resolve a case a barrier for consumers using ADR? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
Please elaborate on your answer: Click here to enter text.
27. Compared to court proceedings, ADR is generally for consumers: (Tick one response.)
☐ Significantly cheaper
☐ Somewhat cheaper
☐ Similar cost
☐ Somewhat more expensive
☐ Significantly more expensive
☐ Don’t know
Please elaborate on your answer: Click here to enter text.
28. Are costs a barrier for consumers using ADR? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
Please elaborate on your answer: Click here to enter text.
9. Quality and safeguards
29. Are ADR bodies required by law or regulation to have formal safeguards to ensure their independence and impartiality? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ Partly / depending on the ADR body
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
Please describe the main safeguards and, if possible, cite the legal basis: Click here to enter text.
30. Based on your supervisory or oversight experience, to what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding ADR bodies operating in the financial sector in your Member State? (Please tick one box per row.)

Fully
To a large extent
To some extent
To a limited extent
Not at all
Don’t know / not applicable
ADR bodies operate independently from financial service providers and other external influences.
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
ADR bodies handle disputes in an impartial manner.
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
ADR bodies provide consumers and financial service providers with transparent information on their procedures, decisions and timelines.
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐

Please provide any comments or examples relevant to your ratings: Click here to enter text.
10. Looking forward
31. In your view, what are the main areas in which ADR systems in the financial sector could be improved?
Click here to enter text.
32. Which activity, if any, should be strengthened at EU level in relation to the ADR bodies (e.g. guidance, harmonisation, data collection)?
Click here to enter text.
33. Which aspects of ADR bodies in the financial sector should remain flexible at national level?
Click here to enter text.
34. Any additional comments, including data limitations or challenges?
Click here to enter text.
35. If available, we would be grateful if you could share a link to the most recent report your authority submitted to the European Commission under Article 20 of Directive 2013/11/EU (ADR Directive).
Click here to enter text.
If the report is not publicly available, we would be grateful if you could share a copy together with the completed questionnaire by email.
Thank you for your contribution!

Email survey – Competent Authorities supervising or overseeing ADR bodies in the financial sector
Thank you for contributing to this study. This questionnaire aims to gather information on the supervision, operation and performance of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) bodies in the financial sector in your Member State. Unless otherwise indicated, please provide information covering all ADR bodies in the financial sector that fall within your authority’s remit, aggregated at national level. Please tick the relevant boxes for multiple-choice questions and provide brief explanations where requested. Where available, please include references to relevant legislation, public reports or websites. If data are unavailable, please indicate this clearly.
1. General information and ADR coverage
1. Member State: Click here to enter text.
2. Name of competent authority: Click here to enter text.
3. Number of ADR bodies in the financial sector currently supervised or overseen by your authority: Click here to enter text.
4. Which financial sectors are covered by these ADR bodies? (Tick all that apply.)
☐ Banking / deposits
☐ Insurance
☐ Investment / securities
☐ Payment services / e-money
☐ Consumer credit
☐ Mortgages
☐ Pensions
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
5. To ensure that we interpret the information provided consistently across Member States, please provide the definitions you use for the following terms:
ADR body: Click here to enter text.
Complaint received: Click here to enter text.
Admissible case: Click here to enter text.
Closed case: Click here to enter text.
Cross-border dispute: Click here to enter text.
Decision / outcome: Click here to enter text.
6. Are there any gaps in ADR coverage in the financial sector in your Member State (for example, particular sectors, products, types of dispute, or geographic areas not covered)?(Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please describe: Click here to enter text.
2. Supervisory framework
7. Which of the following activities are part of your authority’s role in relation to ADR bodies? (Tick all that apply.)
☐ Authorisation, approval or designation of ADR bodies
☐ Ongoing monitoring, supervision or oversight
☐ Audits, inspections or file reviews
☐ Assessment of performance indicators (KPIs)
☐ Handling complaints about ADR bodies
☐ Enforcement or corrective measures
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
8. Does your authority require ADR bodies to submit regular reports or data? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes, on a mandatory basis
☐ Yes, on a voluntary basis
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please indicate what is reported, how often, and in what format: Click here to enter text.
9. Are ADR bodies required to publish information on their activities and performance (for example, through annual reports, websites or statistics)? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please provide details or links, where available: Click here to enter text.
10. Does your authority require ADR bodies to report on any of the following indicators? (Tick all that apply.)
☐ Resolution rate
☐ Number of complaints / cases handled
☐ Number of admissible cases
☐ Number of closed cases
☐ Compliance with decisions or outcomes
☐ Time taken to resolve cases
☐ User satisfaction
☐ Number or share of cross-border cases
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
11. Does your authority have powers to take corrective or enforcement action where an ADR body fails to meet applicable legal or supervisory requirements? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please describe the available measures and the circumstances in which they may be used. If possible, please provide an anonymised practical example: Click here to enter text.
12. How is ADR integrated into the broader judicial system in your Member State? (Tick all that apply.)
☐ ADR bodies are formally recognised or established in legislation.
☐ Courts may refer parties to ADR.
☐ Courts encourage parties to consider ADR before initiating litigation.
☐ ADR outcomes may be recognised or enforced through judicial procedures.
☐ ADR outcomes have no formal link with judicial proceedings.
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
Please explain briefly where the answer differs depending on the ADR body or procedure: Click here to enter text.
13. What are the main challenges your authority faces in supervising or overseeing ADR bodies? (Tick all that apply.)
☐ Ensuring the independence of ADR bodies
☐ Ensuring consistency across ADR bodies
☐ Limited availability of data
☐ Fragmentation of the ADR landscape
☐ Limited resources within the competent authority
☐ Legal or procedural uncertainty
☐ Limited enforcement or corrective powers
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
3. Coordination and cross-border aspects
14. Does your authority cooperate with authorities in other Member States on ADR-related issues? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please briefly describe the forms of cooperation (for example, information exchange, participation in networks, case-related cooperation, or good-practice sharing): Click here to enter text.
15. Are there specific procedures, protocols or cooperation mechanisms in place for handling cross-border financial disputes by means of ADR? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please briefly describe: Click here to enter text.
16. Are there any shared databases, case-tracking systems, common guidelines, or good-practice exchange mechanisms relating to ADR?
(a) within your Member State? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please briefly describe: Click here to enter text.
(b) with authorities or ADR bodies in other Member States? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please briefly describe: Click here to enter text.
4. Recourse to ADR
17. Please provide aggregated figures for all financial-sector ADR bodies within your authority’s remit for each of the last five full calendar years. If data are unavailable, please indicate “not available”. If your definitions of the categories below differ from the standard meaning, please explain briefly.
Year
Number of total complaints received
Number of admissible cases
Number of closed cases
2021



2022



2023



2024



2025




18. Overall, how has the use of ADR in the financial sector changed over this period in terms of volume of cases and general recourse by consumers? (Tick one response.)
☐ Increased
☐ Remained broadly stable
☐ Decreased
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
Please elaborate on your answer: Click here to enter text.
19. What are the main factors influencing this trend? (Tick all that apply.)
☐ Increased consumer awareness
☐ Regulatory or legislative changes
☐ Digitalisation of services or ADR procedures
☐ Increase in specific types of disputes (e.g. fraud)
☐ Changes in firms’ internal complaint-handling procedures
☐ Market or economic developments
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
Please elaborate on your answer: Click here to enter text.
5. Cross-border ADR
20. If available, what percentage of ADR cases in the financial sector involved cross-border disputes during the most recent full calendar year? Click here to enter text.
21. What are the main difficulties in handling cross-border cases? (Tick all that apply.)
☐ Jurisdiction issues
☐ Language barriers
☐ Differences in applicable law
☐ Difficulties in enforcing outcomes
☐ Lack of participation by financial services providers
☐ Lack of consumer awareness or accessibility
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
6. Outcomes of ADR cases
22. In the financial sector in your Member State, ADR outcomes are generally: (Tick one response.)
☐ Binding on both parties
☐ Binding on the financial service provider only
☐ Non-binding
☐ Mixed, depending on the ADR body or procedure
☐ Other (please specify):
Click here to enter text.
Please explain briefly, including the legal effect of ADR outcomes and any consequences of non-compliance: Click here to enter text.
7. Compliance and effectiveness
23. Is compliance with decisions or outcomes monitored? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
If yes, please briefly describe by whom, how, and how frequently: Click here to enter text.
24. If known, what are the main reasons for non-compliance with ADR decisions or outcomes?
Please elaborate on your answer: Click here to enter text.
8. Efficiency
25. What is the average time to resolve a case (in days)? Click here to enter text.
26. To your knowledge, is the time required to resolve a case a barrier for consumers using ADR? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
Please elaborate on your answer: Click here to enter text.
27. Compared to court proceedings, ADR is generally for consumers: (Tick one response.)
☐ Significantly cheaper
☐ Somewhat cheaper
☐ Similar cost
☐ Somewhat more expensive
☐ Significantly more expensive
☐ Don’t know
Please elaborate on your answer: Click here to enter text.
28. Are costs a barrier for consumers using ADR? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
Please elaborate on your answer: Click here to enter text.
9. Quality and safeguards
29. Are ADR bodies required by law or regulation to have formal safeguards to ensure their independence and impartiality? (Tick one response.)
☐ Yes
☐ Partly / depending on the ADR body
☐ No
☐ Don’t know / not applicable
Please describe the main safeguards and, if possible, cite the legal basis: Click here to enter text.
30. Based on your supervisory or oversight experience, to what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding ADR bodies operating in the financial sector in your Member State? (Please tick one box per row.)

Fully
To a large extent
To some extent
To a limited extent
Not at all
Don’t know / not applicable
ADR bodies operate independently from financial service providers and other external influences.
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
ADR bodies handle disputes in an impartial manner.
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
ADR bodies provide consumers and financial service providers with transparent information on their procedures, decisions and timelines.
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐

Please provide any comments or examples relevant to your ratings: Click here to enter text.
10. Looking forward
31. In your view, what are the main areas in which ADR systems in the financial sector could be improved?
Click here to enter text.
32. Which activity, if any, should be strengthened at EU level in relation to the ADR bodies (e.g. guidance, harmonisation, data collection)?
Click here to enter text.
33. Which aspects of ADR bodies in the financial sector should remain flexible at national level?
Click here to enter text.
34. Any additional comments, including data limitations or challenges?
Click here to enter text.
35. If available, we would be grateful if you could share a link to the most recent report your authority submitted to the European Commission under Article 20 of Directive 2013/11/EU (ADR Directive).
Click here to enter text.
If the report is not publicly available, we would be grateful if you could share a copy together with the completed questionnaire by email.
Thank you for your contribution!