Guide for Users to the European Small Claims Procedure

The purpose of this Guide is to give a direct introduction to the European Small Claims Procedure, referred to throughout the Guide as the ‘ESCP’, based on the Regulation (EC) No 861/2007.

The Guide is designed to assist users of the ESCP in understanding what each stage of the procedure involves. In particular it should assist a party wishing to commence an ESCP case and also a party against whom a case has been commenced. 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 ESCP, and for additional information which may enable users of the ESCP to understand the procedure in more depth, reference can be made to the companion Practice Guide, reference to whose contents can be found in most of the paragraphs of the Guide for Users, for example ‘PG 1.1’.