FINNET Prague 2009

Czech Financial Arbitrator hosted an international FIN-NET meeting, the European network of financial arbitrators and ombudsmen. 

On 20-21 October 2009, the Financial Arbitrator of the Czech Republic hosted an international FIN-NET meeting, the European network of financial arbitrators and ombudsmen (Cross-Border Financial Disputes Out of Court). Regular FIN-NET meetings are held twice a year, once at its headquarters in Brussels and once in another member country. The previous meeting took place in Madrid in October 2008. This year's meeting was held at the Czech National Bank's Congress Centre (Na Příkopě 864/28, Prague 1). A total of 40 bank and financial ombudsmen and European Commission representatives from more than 20 countries attended the meeting. The participants' immediate reactions and numerous subsequent messages of thanks rated this meeting as the best and most representative in FIN-NET's history. Note of thanks here. 

The Czech Financial Arbitrator and the Banking Institute University held an international conference .

On 22 October 2009, the Czech Financial Arbitrator and the Banking Institute University (BIVŠ - Bankovní institut vysoká škola, a.s.) held an INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE on “FIN-NET’S ROLE AND POSITION IN FINANCIAL MARKETS”. The Czech Financial Arbitrator Office and the Banking Institute University organized this conference under the auspices of Dr. Ing. František Klufa, Czech Financial Arbitrator, and of doc. RNDr. František Jirásek, DrSc, Rector of the Banking Institute University, on the occasion of an international meeting of FIN-NET, an all-European network of financial arbitrators and ombudsmen, held in Prague. The conference was held in the auditorium of the University on 22 October 2009 at 09:30 a.m. in the Campus Park Stodůlky, Nárožní 2600/9, 158 00 Prague 5 – Stodůlky. The topics discussed at the conference included, among others: Manners of Alternative Out-of-Court Dispute Resolution in the Financial Market – at Present and in the Future; Regulation of Financial Markets – as Viewed by an Ombudsman; Financial Products, Consumer Protection, Financial Crisis; New Directive on Payment Services in the Internal Market and its Transposition into National Environment.

The following persons appeared at the conference: Petr Durdík – Sales Director of the Banking Institute University; Klára Hájková – Deputy Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic; František Klufa – Czech Financial Arbitrator; David Thomas – Financial Ombudsman of the United Kingdom; Diarmuid Byrne – Head of Administration, Financial Ombudsman, Ireland; Francis Frizon – French Mediator for the Insurance Industry; Sussane Nielsen – Secretary-General of the Committee for Mortgage-Related Complaints, Denmark; Dušan Hradil – Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic; Libor Dupal – Chairman of the Czech Consumer Association; Eva Černá – Banking Ombudsman, Slovakia; Martin Gardavský – Chairman of the Ethics Committee of the Association of Financial Intermediaries; Petr Scholz – representative of the Czech Financial Arbitrator; Markéta Hálová – Czech National Bank; Jiří Beran – Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic; Josef Tauber – Managing Director of the Czech Banking Association; Milan Řezníček – Citibank.

I was very honored to welcome you all – participants as well as accompanying persons – to the official FIN-NET meeting on 20 - 21 October 2009 in Prague. I was very glad that we have established a tradition of organising annual meetings outside the FIN-NET base in Brussels and that I could follow up on the well-organised and successful meeting held last year in Madrid. I also believe that you will leave Prague and the Czech Republic with fond memories thanks not only to a successful meeting of our association, but also to having learned something more about the rich historical, cultural and social traditions of our country. 

Czech Financial Arbitrator

FIN-NET is an international network established in 2001 by the European Commission in Brussels, which associates national institutions in the European Economic Area countries that are responsible for out-of-court resolution of disputes between consumers and financial services providers. Within this network, consumers are provided with easier access to the services of institutions responsible for out-of-court settlement of disputes between consumers and financial services providers also in so-called ‘cross-border cases’. If a consumer in one country has a dispute with a financial services provider based in another country of the European Economic Area, they may refer to a FIN-NET member in their own country and make use of cross-border cooperation among the individual FIN-NET members. The Czech Financial Arbitrator is a member of the Steering Committee of FIN-NET’s international network.

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