In 2005 the Mediation Act came into force in Belgium. This act makes it possible starting a procedural and legal mediation procedure, besides the usual legal measures. This article starts with a short introduction to the legal measures and continues with some notable results of an inquiry to the social mediation field by B-Mediation in cooperation with the Federal Mediation Commission. The results of the inquiry are collected in the report Barometer van de bemiddeling 2012. The authors end with confronting the results with their own experiences and an explanation of their own model for practice, and the description of a recent case.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) are on the rise in Europe and different Member States. In May 2013, the European Parliament and Council adopted an ADR Directive (n 2013/11) and ODR Regulation (n 524/2013) that will bring major changes in the European and national ADR landscapes. Both instruments are analyzed in this article. On the other hand, attention is also paid to the Belgian ODR-platform Belmed, that was created in 2011 and facilitates Belgian consumers to make an online ADR application. Finally, a plea is made for the exchange of data between ODR-platforms and national regulators, as a means to detect mass cases.

On 26 May 2013 Ard van der Steur, Netherlands MP for the liberal democrats, introduced a cluster of three mediation bills to secure the status of mediation as a sound alternative to traditional in-court adjudication in civil and administrative disputes. Although the starting point in these bills is that mediation should take place on a voluntary basis, there are some arrangements that may result in quasi compulsory mediation. One such arrangement is that the judge, on his own motion, may refer parties to mediation. Also parties have to proof that they first have attempted to settle their dispute through mediation and if not, why not.

On 1 January 2013 the new Mediation Rules of CEPANI (the Belgian Center for Arbitration and Mediation) entered into force. The 2013 CEPANI Mediation Rules replace the 2005 version of the CEPANI Mediation Rules and also the 2010 version of the CEPANI ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Mediation Rules. The 2013 Rules contain provisions on the introduction of the mediation, the appointment of the mediator, the mediation protocol to be established at the beginning of the mediation process, the conduct of the mediation, the confidentiality, the end of the mediation and its costs. The authors comment on these various provisions of the CEPANI Mediation Rules and explain thereby also the relevant provisions of the Belgian Mediation Law contained in Chapter VII of the Belgian Judicial Code.

In February 2013 a Dutch delegation of four students and two coaches travelled to Paris to participate in the annual International Commercial Mediation Competition.

Following an overview of the historical place of mediation in China, this contribution summarizes the outcomes of a Euro-Chinese symposium held in Beijing on 1 and 2 September 2012, focused on mediation as a case management tool for the courts. In China, mediation appears to be on the rise again since a few years, reconquering its traditional predominant place in China, after a decade of increased litigation during the period of rapid economic growth. The pressure on Chinese courts to make the parties settle raises some questions however about how to assess whether private mediation or public litigation is indicated, and by which evidence-based standards.

This article examines the practice of foreclosure mediation in the American mortgage market after the financial crisis of 2008. Many states have implemented foreclosure mediation programs to handle the deluge of foreclosure proceedings in the aftermath of the financial crisis. The role of the mortgage servicing industry in the success or failure of this type of mediation is discussed, as well as the possible outcomes of a foreclosure mediation.

Construction contracts are particularly prone to the emergence of disputes. In Belgium, construction disputes have traditionally been referred to State Courts. In recent years however, there has been a growing interest in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), which has gradually affected the Belgian construction sector. There are now several institutions dedicated solely to providing arbitration and ADR services to the construction industry.Beside the Centre belge de l’arbitrage et de la mediation, three institutions are specialized in the settlement of construction and real estate disputes: the Chambre de Conciliation, d’Arbitrage et de Médiation en matière immobilière, the Commission de conciliation construction and the Centre Scientifique et Technique de la Construction. These institutions offer fast and cost-effective ways of settling disputes, which are often more suitable than judicial proceedings

This article contains a sketch of the use and organisation of arbitration in the Dutch construction industry. In Holland contractual issues in construction contracts are dealt with by arbitration in the vast majority of issues. There are several arbitration institutes of which the Arbitration Board for the Building Industry is the most important. This institute published (anonymously) over a 1000 judgments in 2011. The main issues of the Dutch arbitration act and of the new act are discussed in this article. The following important new developments are being described: the arbitration clause in general conditions in contracts with a consumer (the effectiveness of these clause will be severely limited in the new act); getting an arbitrational award annulled by the state judge (very difficult as it is) is limited since this will only be asked for in front of the appeal court and not (like the present situation) first in the district court and than in the appeal court; judgments do not have to contain a motivation any more if parties say they can do without (a dangerous development).

Since 2001 Family Group Conferences are being organised in the Netherlands, and in Flanders since 2006. The Eigen Kracht Centrale, the Dutch forum organising Family Group Conferences, supported in 2011 research into the economic potential of Family Group Conferences, particularly in multi problem families. The results of the research are promising, meaning that Family Group Conferences may contribute to savings of costs for youth care.

Hierarchical (labor) conflicts have a unique dynamic. Although power dynamics play a role in many interactions, they may play a crucial role in labor conflicts affecting the conflict itself and the subsequent mediation. In this paper, we look at the concept of power as well as different power sources in order to get more grip on the power balance between disputants. We show that when parties hold and/or perceive different power positions, parties differ strongly with regard to their perception of the conflict, their emotional experience but also their (conflict) behavior. For example, where a labor conflict may represent a very personal and painful event for the less powerful, it may be just one of the many tasks the more powerful has to deal with. Consequently, parties have different needs and expectations in order to solve the conflict. Knowledge of these processes is essential if one wishes to acquire insight in the power balance between disputants and/or intervene in labor conflicts.

This contribution examines how the Directive 2008/52/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2008 on certain aspects of mediation in civil and commercial matters is transposed in various member states of the European Union, or how the discussion about the transposition is conducted or is still ongoing in some countries. The following seven countries are examined: Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, England, France, Germany and Austria.

This article examines the Belgian legislation aimed at safeguarding the confidential nature of mediation. It takes the perspective of all actors involved in the mediation process: the parties to the dispute, the mediator and experts or witnesses who participate in the mediation.

An arbitrator and the parties can be confronted with an insolvent party. In such event the arbitrator will have to integrate the effects of the insolvency into the arbitration proceedings and consider several precautions in order to render a valid and enforceable award. The main principle when tackling most of these issues is the equality of creditors. Another issue can be the identification of the applicable (system of) law. The effect of the insolvency can vary considerably depending thereon. In domestic arbitration this will not be an issue. Also, when the parties all come from EU-member states, the identification of the applicable law and the effects of the insolvency are covered by the European Insolvency Regulation. But in other international disputes the relationship between bankruptcy law and arbitration can be complex and uncertain. To illustrate the difficulty of the issues the Syska Vivendi case serves as an excellent example. Finally we describe the impact on the way the arbitration is conducted by the tribunal and on the administration and supervision of the arbitration by the institution.

Arbitration cases involving EC competition law may create difficulties for arbitrators with regard to their attitude towards the EU organs. The article discusses aspects of this relationship. The article specifically evaluates the (non-)application in arbitration of the regime for EC Commission’s relationship with member states’ courts as well as the EC Commission’s role as a third party in arbitrations. The article then analyses circumstances of the possible co-operation of arbitrators with the EC Commission and the conditions for its smooth running. The article subsequently looks at the effects of the Commission’s decisions on arbitration as well as the effects of the arbitral awards on the Commission. The article considers the lack of a relationship between arbitrators and the European Court of Justice in light of the Court’s jurisprudence, and the relevance of the Court’s jurisprudence for particular arbitrations.

On 21 May 2008 the European Directive on certain aspects of mediation in civil and commercial matters was adopted. The directive will have to be implemented in Dutch legislation before 21 May 2011. The objective of the Directive is to facilitate access to alternative dispute resolution and to promote the amicable settlement of disputes, by encouraging the use of mediation and by ensuring a balanced relationship between mediation and judicial proceedings (Article 1(1)). As a result of the arrival of the European Mediation Directive mediation the Netherlands will get a legal basis and thereby recognition. This article inter alia discusses the Mediation Directive from the NMI's perspective and discusses the articles from the Directive relevant to NMI step by step.

For children involved in an international abduction by one of the parents, there is a real risk of losing their right to contact with the other parent for an extended period of time and sometimes forever. A number of international legal remedies have been created that should provide a solution to these often traumatising experiences. However, their application in an international context often takes a particularly long time and the procedures remain painful and difficult for the families involved. The various players working in the field of international child abductions recognise the importance of preventing international child abductions. The requirement here is that the people involved in the field are well informed of the available and most desirable prevention mechanisms. Therefore Child Focus, in cooperation with the European Commission, developed a prevention guide with information on the phenomenon of international child abduction, prevention mechanism, intervening organizations and flow charts.

In the case of Rosalba Alassini v. Telecom Italia SpA the Court of Justice of the European Union has for the first time decided (18 March 2010) on the compatibility of a (Italian) statute mandatorily prescribing conciliation prior to application to a Court of Law, whereby the compatibility test was based on various European general principles of law. The author provides a critical comment on some inconsistencies in the judgment and the A-G’s earlier Opinion.

The option of caucusing – i.e. one-on-one conversations between the mediator and one of the parties – is what makes mediation different from other types of conflict resolution. Both the view that all that is discussed in the caucus should remain confidential and the view that this should essentially be shared with the other party lead to suboptimal results. Economically inefficient outcomes caused by strategic actions by the parties can be avoided if the mediator communicates the information disclosed to him/her in the caucus to the other party in such a way (‘noisy translation’) that this other party cannot use this information to the disadvantage of the disclosing party.

In this contribution an overview is given of the most recent developments with regard to commercial dispute management and its legal context, in particular in the Netherlands. Firstly, a focus is put on the importance of integral conflict management on the basis of ADR/EDR from the perspective of risk management and cost control. Secondly, recent developments with regard to effective dispute resolution, in particular in government policy, ADR/EDR and in the legal context are discussed. The judicial and the extrajudicial system offer conflict parties various possibilities to effective and efficient dispute resolution. Further, special attention is paid to mediation clauses in commercial contracts. With regard to the European Directive of 21 May 2008 on mediation in civil and commercial matters, Directive 2008/52/EC, its consequences to the Dutch legal system and its importance for commercial dispute resolution management are discussed.