CEPANI, The Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation

CEPANI is the Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation. As such, it offers parties in dispute the administrative assistance for their arbitration and mediation proceedings, to allow them to reach a satisfactory solution for their conflict. The Centre strives to create the appropriate legal and administrative framework for the parties, to make possible a swift and safe resolution of their dispute.

CEPANI was founded in 1969, under the auspices of the Belgian National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC Belgium) and the Federation of Belgian Enterprises (VBO/FEB). Over the years, CEPANI’s reputation has steadily grown and it is now the main centre for dispute resolution in Belgium. At the heart of Brussels, amidst several important EU institutions and international organizations, CEPANI offers its services in a national as well as an international context.

CEPANI is housed in the offices of the VBO/FEB in Brussels. Its members include business people, university professors, corporate counsel, lawyers and notaries. Internationally, it maintains close relations with similar centres around the globe and promotes the city of Brussels as an arbitration hub.

CEPANI’s aims are twofold:

The active support of arbitration and mediation proceedings. CEPANI places at the disposal of the parties a set of rules for arbitration, mediation and other forms of ADR; it appoints independent arbitrators, mediators, experts or neutrals; it monitors the course of the proceedings and, if necessary, provides logistic and legal support services.
The active promotion of arbitration, mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. To this end, CEPANI regularly organises scientific lectures, colloquiums and seminars and encourages the production and publication of articles and books on the subject.