CEPINA

PREFACE

CEPANI, the Belgian Center for Arbitration and Mediation welcomes you on its web-site.

CEPANI, was founded 40 years ago on the initiative of the Belgian National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Federation of Belgian Enterprises (VBO/FEB).

If CEPANI keeps privileged relationships with these two mother organizations, it is today, a completely independent center for Arbitration and Mediation. It is composed of businessmen, university professors, corporate counsels, lawyers, and notarys.

CEPANI has a double goal: on one hand, promote Arbitration and Mediation and, on the other hand, handle concrete cases of Arbitration and Mediation. The promotion of Arbitration and Mediation is mainly enhanced by the organization of coloquiums and by the publication of monographs and books on the subject.

Since 1991, CEPANI publishes a Newletter that informs its members and any other person interested by the recent developments of Arbitration and Mediation. CEPANI, also encourages the publication of books that treat the subject of Arbitration and Mediation.

Also, CEPANI is a center to whom one can turn to in order to find an effective resolution of their dispute.

Regarding this issue, CEPANI proposes four services:
Enables access for the parties in dispute to a number of rules that organize the Arbitral and Mediation procedure;
It appoints competent arbitrators and mediators that commit themselves to respecting a number of rules of good conduct that have been elaborated by CEPANI;
It supervises that the procedure takes place in the time-limits agreed by the parties, as organized by the rules;
CEPANI also offers to the parties legal and organizational services.

Recently, CEPANI reviewed its rules in order to answer a number of legal and practical difficulties that were sometimes encountered, this review was done taking the Belgian law into account but also taking into account rules of similar centers for Arbitration and Mediation that exist abroad and more specifically rules of the International Chamber of Commerce.

Progressively, CEPANI became, by its competence and rigour, the first center for Arbitration and Mediation in Belgium. Internationally, it has continuous relationships with similar centers from other countries and has, in certain cases, concluded with them corporation agreements.

If you wish any more information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Last but not least, we thank you for your interest and invite you to continue visiting our web-site. Your remarks and suggestions concerning our web-site are most welcome. Click on the icon to let us know you opinion.

Guy KEUTGEN
Chairman

Foundation and purpose of CEPANI npo

The Belgian Center for Arbitration and Mediation (CEPANI) was founded in 1969 on the initiative and under the auspices of the Federation of Belgium Companies (VBO/FEB) and the Belgian National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

CEPANI has been active on two fronts from the beginning:

the study and the promotion of arbitration and mediation. To this end, it has organized scientific colloquiums, several of which had an international impact, to enhance arbitration and mediation in Belgium. CEPANI also initiated and encouraged the edition and publication of monographs and books on the subject.

support for arbitration and mediation proceedings. As a result, CEPANI has drafted rules for arbitration, including for small claims, rules for mediation and mini-trial, which are included in this brochure. By putting them regularly on the stocks, CEPANI aims to provide economic operators and private individuals with the tools for finding a speedy and effective resolution of their dispute.

CEPANI itself does not serve as an arbitrator or mediator.

CEPANI has two functions:

to appoint competent, diligent and independent arbitrators and mediators;

to oversee the progress of the proceedings by resolving any legal and material difficulties that might emerge so as to meet as much as possible the expectations of the parties.

CEPANI is a national, cross-sector, independent body consisting of business leaders, corporate counsels, lawyers, notary's and university professors.

The new edition of the CEPANI rules in force as from January 1st, 2005 takes into account both the applicable Belgian law on arbitration and mediation and the rules of a number of arbitration and mediation bodies abroad, in particular the rules of the ICC. CEPANI's experience as an arbitration and mediation center was also taken into consideration.

In this way, CEPANI, whose authority and reputation have grown over the past decades, aims to provide increasingly efficient and effective tools that are geared to practical requirements for resolving - and even preventing - disputes.