The Act on the Modernisation of Arbitration Law is intended to align this area of law with modern needs, to enhance its efficiency and to boost Germany’s attractiveness as a venue for arbitration. The DIS has been actively involved in the legislative process and has submitted constructive comments on the 2023 white paper as well as on the 2024 and 2026 draft bills.
The DIS welcomes the modernisation of the well-established German arbitration law by means of a minor reform. Such a reform can not only further improve German arbitration law, but also provides an opportunity to draw more international attention to Germany as an arbitration venue. It is therefore an important building block in an overall strategy to promote Germany as an arbitration venue.
With the end of the 20th legislative period, the legislative project has regrettably fallen into discontinuity (latest status in DIP, the documentation and information system for parliamentary matters of the German Bundestag). The Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection has resumed proceedings on 27 January 2026.
The Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs has discussed the federal government's bill on the Modernisation of Arbitration Law in a two-hour public hearing on Wednesday, 4 December 2024 (BT-Drucks. 20/13257).
Date: Wednesday, 4 December 2024, 1.00 - 3.00 pm
Venue: Berlin, Paul-Löbe-Haus, Sitzungssaal 2.600
A summary, including all statements by the experts and a video recording of the hearing, can be found on the Bundestag website.