In early July, as every year, members of the Club de Médiateurs de Services au Public (Club of Public services Mediators) met up for an internal seminar day at the International Centre for Pedagogical Studies in Sèvres.

Among the subjects addressed under the aegis of Jean-Pierre Teyssier, Chairman of the Club, a special place was reserved for the training of members and their teams.

Claude Bisson-Vaivre, who oversees the Club’s efforts in this area, unveiled measures to strengthen the initial training organized with the IGPDE by means of continual training: consumer law and analysis of mediators’ positions, in particular, which will supplement the existing sessions on the legal framework for mediation and its developments.

The views expressed by each member highlighted a shared observation: that of a sharp increase in the number of referrals received by members since the end of 2015, and therefore a common concern about the adequacy of the resources to cope with this upward trend.

Camille Bertrand, legal expert at the European Consumer Centre, presented the latest European news in the field of mediation.

The seminar ended with an update on implementation of the new framework for consumer mediation in France. Twelve Club members have already been notified by the Mediation Evaluation and Control Commission.