I. INTRODUCTION On 17th March 2022, Order TMA/201/2022 of 14th March -hereinafter Order TMA/201/2022 or the Order-, which regulates the alternative dispute resolution procedure for air transport users regarding the rights recognised in the European Union concerning compensation and assistance in the event of denied boarding, cancellations or significant delays, as well as in relation to the rights of persons with disabilities or reduced mobility was published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado or Official State Gazette -BOE-2. In this way, the mandate contained in the second additional provision of Law 7/2017 of 2nd November, which incorporates Directive 2013/11/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 21st May 2013 into Spanish law, concerning the alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes3, was achieved. Indeed, its second paragraph required the Ministry of Development to regulate the procedure for resolving disputes relating to the application of European Union regulations on the protection of air transport users, which would be mandatory and binding for airlines. It was also stated that for the resolution of such disputes, a single entity would be accredited and notified to the European Union. So the Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea o State Aviation Safety Agency -hereinafter AESA- was urged to adapt its functioning and procedures in line with the provisions of Law 7/2017 in order to be accredited as the ADR entity in this area until the order came into effect. In April 2018, the Ministry of Development made public a Draft Order regulating the alternative dispute resolution procedure4. It was composed of 19 articles divided into two chapters -one dedicated to general provisions and the other to the ADR procedure-, two additional provisions, a transitional provision and two final provisions. However, this draft was not approved. The Government resumed this objective during the COVID-19 pandemic. 2 BOE No. 65, 17 March. 3 BOE No. 268, 4 November. 4 Regarding this Draft Order, see BONACHERA VILLEGAS, R., “El Proyecto de Orden Ministerial por el que se regula la resolución alternativa de litigios en materia de los derechos de los usuarios de transporte aéreo”, in JIMÉNEZ CONDE, F. (dir.) and FUENTES SORIANO, O. y GONZÁLEZ CANO, M. I. (coords.), Adaptación del derecho procesal español a la normativa europea y a su interpretación por los tribunales, Tirant lo Blanch, Valencia, 2018, pp. 261-268; MARCHAL ESCALONA, N., “El marco regulador en proyecto en España para la resolución alternativa de conflictos: ¿nuevas perspectivas para las reclamaciones de consumo?”, in ARIZA COLMENAREJO, M.ª J. and FERNÁNDEZ-FÍGARES MORALES, M.ª J., La resolución alternativa de litigios en materia de consumo, Thomson Reuters Aranzadi, Cizur Menor, 2018, pp. 145-170; NADAL GÓMEZ, I., “La resolución alternativa de litigios en el transporte aéreo”, ibidem, pp. 257-275; and PÉREZ MORIONES, A., “Hacia la consolidación de la resolución alternativa de conflictos en el ámbito del transporte aéreo”, Diario La Ley, nº 9298, 2018. 32 ARÁNZAZU PÉREZ MORIONES
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