Meeting of the working group on the development of the internal documents of the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution “Consensus”

On 3.11.2023 in Sofia, in a meeting room at 132a G.S.Rakovski Street, a meeting of the working group on the project “Consensus NETS” was held. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Civil Service Commission and the team of experts of the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution “Consensus NETS”.

The working group is composed mainly of lawyers, and its main goal is to unite the expertise of specialists to develop the main documents necessary for the lawful and effective functioning of the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution “Consensus NETS”. 3 documents are planned for discussion and development: Procedure for the document flow of the center, Statute and development plan of the Network “Consensus NETS” and Procedure for recruiting and training conciliators at the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution “Consensus”. The meeting discussed proposals and made the following decisions:

1. The titles of the documents were specified, as well as their structure.

2. A plan for the development of the documents and sample content were drawn up.

3. The team's draft proposals regarding the status of the network and the internal rules for its functioning were discussed.

4. The proposal to expand the scope of organizations to be members of the network was made and accepted by all, with the argument that the network has the functions of informing and educating the general public about consumer rights, as well as uniting the efforts of traders, consumers and ADR and CSO bodies in their efforts to provide better consumer protection was expressed. The opinion was expressed that all interested parties should be included in the network, including universities, NGOs, trade unions, etc.

5. The name of the network was determined: NETWORK OF BODIES AND ORGANIZATIONS FOR ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION OF CONSUMER DISPUTES AND CONSUMER PROTECTION IN BULGARIA "CONSENSUS NET".

6. The proposal was adopted that the NETWORK be an independent and autonomous structure, open to accession by all organizations and institutions that unite their efforts to achieve various goals, including:

-Achieving an integrated national policy in the field of consumer protection

-Raising public awareness of the role of ADR methods in the legal protection system in Bulgaria.

7. The draft documents presented by the experts of CARS "Consensus" were discussed and supplemented.