A Guide for Users to the European Small Claims Procedure : A short introduction to the main practical aspects of the use of the procedure based on the Regulation

The purpose of this Guide is to give a direct introduction to the European Small Claims Procedure, referred to throughout the Guide as ‘the procedure’. The Guide is designed to assist users of the procedure in understanding what each of its stages involves. In particular it should assist a party wishing to commence a procedure case and also a party against whom a case has been lodged. The guide is relatively short and straightforward, for ease of access and intelligibility. It does not go into very great detail, deliberately, the intention being to keep the description of the various aspects of the procedure as short and simple as possible. For a more detailed description of the procedure, and for additional information which may enable users of the procedure to understand it in more depth, the companion Practice Guide can be used, references to whose contents can be found in most of the paragraphs of the Users’ Guide, for example ‘PG 1.1’.