Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) refers to the different means of out-of-court settling of disputes. In the energy sector ADR represents an important and efficient tool to solve disputes between market participants. ADR offers a simple, fast and low cost solution to disputes between customers and traders. When a customer is aware that a dispute may be solved quickly and efficiently, he/she is more inclined to be active in the market. This is especially true when ADR is reliable, fast, inexpensive and run by an independent and impartial entity.

In order to have a better picture of the ADR process applied by NRAs, a questionnaire was prepared and circulated among ERRA member countries. The questionnaire consists of two parts. The first part includes general information about ADR procedure applied in a given country, while in the second part the participants are asked to describe all steps of the ADR procedure applied by the NRA.

The paper is based on the input received from 9 ERRA Member Regulatory Authorities.