In 1976 the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, about corporate social responsibility and sustainability, were carried. To implement the guidelines national contact points inform people and enterprises, and mediate in case of a complaint. This article describes the structure, procedure and role of the Dutch and Belgian National Contact Points.

The cost of conflicts in the Netherlands between civil parties or individuals and the government add up to more than 12 billion Euro. For this calculation, a framework has been developed to distinct between three cost categories: Subject (parties) cost, System cost (e.g. court) and Consequential cost. The latter category represents more than 50% of the total cost, the majority of which are born by commercial parties and employer. The government bears 12,5% of the total cost. The impact on insurance companies could not be estimated but is suspected to be substantial. It are these three parties who in concert should fund further investigation and develop initiatives to reduce the financial and human cost of conflicts. It is to be investigated which incentives are required to make this game change to take place.

In this article the authors compare Belgian and Dutch (draft) regulation of mass damage claims, and notably the prominent place reserved for the collective amicable settlement of such claims. Though collective action for the recovery of damage is still not possible in the Netherlands, Dutch law does provide for the possibility of the court endorsing collectively agreed settlements, since 2005. One of most notorious settlements, i.e. the Dexia case, is discussed, illustrating how individual victims may retain their standing to sue in court, although in such cases the courts show a tendency to cling to the terms of the collective settlement just the same (‘reflex effect or shadow of the settlement’). Mediation in brokering such high profile settlements does not necessarily follow the vested principles of mediation in ‘regular’ one to one disputes.

In this interview with prominent representatives of the British Acas and the Belgian Social Mediators Service important developments in the ADR labour practice are discussed. In particular, the impact of the financial crisis and the ever advancing globalization process on the labour negotiating climate is the centre of attention.

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.

This contribution discusses the EU Commission proposals for a directive on Consumer ADR and a Regulation on consumer ODR. The directive compels member state to cater for complete coverage of all contractual consumer disputes (whether domestic or cross-border) by ADR entities that meet certain quality requirements and to actively make these facilities known. The proposed regulation introduces an EU-wide single ODR platform that will transfer consumer complaints to the appropriate national entity. European comparative research suggests the business community’s initial reluctance to (co-)finance such external extra-judicial dispute reolution schemes (deploying quasi-arbitration or mediation) may be overcome in either of two ways: through the prospect of introducing EU collective consumer redress before the courts instead, or by convincing business of ADR’s use as an additional marketing feedback tool. Some open questions that remain are highlighted.

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.

In their contribution ‘Employment and ICMS’, Rob Jagtenberg and Annie de Roo discuss the yields that an integrated conflict management system may bring to individual workers, to the company or organisation, and to society as a whole. Few organisations have adopted ICMS as yet. Therefore, the authors analyse the resistance against introduction of ICMS in some detail, especially resistance on the part of management, which likely will be decisive.Recent developments in the world economy and in politics however, may change the leverage in favour of introducing ICMS still, in the years to come.