Press Release: European Commission takes action to ease access to justice in cross-border legal disputes

Settling disputes and disagreements through courts is often costly and time-consuming. Cross-border cases are particularly complex due to different national laws and practical matters like costs or language. The European Union Mediation Directive – which was adopted on 21 May 2008 and has been in force since 21 May 2011 – applies when two parties who are involved in a cross-border dispute voluntarily agree to settle their dispute using an impartial mediator.

All EU Member States should now have measures in place to transpose the EU legislation. However, nine countries have not yet notified all national measures needed to fully implement the Directive. As a result, the European Commission began legal proceedings on 22 July 2011 by sending "letters of formal notice" to the following countries: The Czech Republic, Spain, France, Cyprus, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Finland, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. The countries have two months to respond.