Flexible operation

for amicable resolution

The workf low followed by the Consumer Ombudsman

when handling a request eligible for mediation is shown below.

Throughout this process the

Ombudsman reminds the

parties that they are free to

withdraw from the mediation

process at any time

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6

3

7

Satisfaction survey

The Ombudsman conducts a satisfaction

survey among claimants following the

handling of their request to enable the

Mediation team to improve the ef fective

ness of its process

Formulation of the

solution

The Ombudsman formalises the

proposed mediation solution in writing.

He informs each party of the other

party’s decision to accept or reject the

proposal and the implications of the

solution.

Only the parties decide whether

to accept the proposal or not; the

Ombudsman never makes this deci-

sion.

Finally, he ensures the implementation

of the solution

Assigning

the request

The request is assigned

to a Mediation of f icer in

the Ombudsman’s team.

Making contact

The Ombudsman then contacts the parties in-

volved. For claimants, this stage is almost always

carried out by telephone; for parties within the

company, by email, then by telephone depending

on the complexity of the case.

The goal is to conf irm entry into mediation

while reinforcing the principles and values upheld

by the Consumer Ombudsman for the ENGIE

Group. This phase concludes with a conf irmation

letter sent to both the claimant and the

relevant professional(s) within ENGIE.

Presentation of the solution

The solution proposed by the Ombudsman is

presented to the parties, who decide whether

to accept it or not. These discussions may

lead to adjustments to the proposal to reach a

solution acceptable to both parties.

If necessary, the Ombudsman sets a deadline

for accepting or rejecting the solution. The

average timeframe is f ifteen days, but this may

be extended to facilitate reaching a mutually

agreeable solution

Request for information

The mediation of f icer requests

that each party provide the

necessary information for the Ombuds-

man’s comprehensive and independent

analysis. Upon request from either party,

the of f icer may disclose all or part of the

case.

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Analysis of the situation

The mediation of f icer submits their

analysis of the situation to the

Ombudsman. The Ombudsman then

proposes one or more solutions to the

dispute within a maximum of 90 days.

However, if the case is complex, this

timeframe may be extended. The

Ombudsman informs the parties

accordingly.

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1

The Ombudsman’s resources

In 2024, the budget for the

Consumer Mediation service

was €0.98 million. The items of expenditure are as follows:

Mediation for

small and medium-sized businesses

Since 2022, a signif icant proportion of the total budget has

been allocated to these claimants.

Labour costs

This budget item is the same as in 2023, due to the inf lux of

requests and mediation cases to be handled amid the

energy crisis. As a result of the backlog of cases from 2023

that were handled in 2024, the team processed the same

number of mediation cases as in 2023, the peak year of the

crisis. Given the current climate, the approach of proximity

in mediation was maintained, as claimants have an even

greater need to be listened to and heard, and to understand

the reasons for these disputes and the issues at stake.

Team running costs

The cost of this budget item has risen due to the increase in

the ENGIE Group’s overheads as a result of inf lation.

Technical developments

and cybersecurity measures

for Mediation systems

The new referral form has been launched. Using this form,

claimants can submit claims directly via their smartphone,

by scanning the documents to be attached to the f ile using

the smartphone camera. An overhaul of the website, with a

new tree structure, was launched after an audit of the

website’s search engine ranking. A number of operational

improvements have also been made to the CRM system to

make it easier to use and to extract statistics on the increase

in ENGIE Group’s overheads due to inf lation.

The ENGIE Group is legally obliged to allocate a budget to the

Mediation service so that it can operate independently.

098 M

Total Mediation budget

consumer mediation

share

018 M

Team running costs rent IT

telephones

supplies postage and

photocopying etc

07 M

Labour and related costs

salaries temporary staf f travel

expenses training etc

€0.1 M

Projects, regulatory activities

and training costs: activity report,

website hosting and development,

CRM maintenance and development,

consumer association meetings

regulatory training etc

View detailed

information on

this process

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