Eni and the Consumer Associations of Italy sign nationwide online joint arbitration protocol

Rome, 9 December 2009. Eni Chief Executive Officer Paolo Scaroni and the consumer associations recognised by Italy's National Council of Users and Consumers (CNCU) today signed the Eni online national arbitration protocol for the gas sector.
Joint arbitration, a development keenly pursued by Eni and the consumer associations, is an approach whose characteristics and potential differentiate it from other forms of out-of-court settlement.
Joint arbitration enables customers to communicate with the company through the specialised mediation by the consumer associations, on the basis of clear procedures and times that enable disputes to be settled in a rapid, economic and friendly manner.
Cooperation between Eni and the associations on drafting the arbitration protocol involved the formation of a special committee, which monitored the results of the procedure during the experimental phase in the Veneto region.
Following the success of the trial, Eni and the associations have decided to implement the protocol throughout Italy and to broaden the range of instances in which arbitration may be requested. New developments envisaged by the protocol include arbitration on double billing and on a number questions regarding non-payment.
The value of arbitration, acknowledged at European level and the object of extensive debate in Italy, makes this type of procedure and the Eni protocol in particular one of the most innovative auxiliary tools for consumers.

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