This Volume is a special issue, almost entirely dedicated to the TMD symposium that took place on 1 December 2016 at the premises of Intersentia Publishing company near Antwerp. The symposium addressed the current Belgian and Dutch plans for new legislation aiming to further the use of mediation by intending litigants. The TMD Editorial Board is honoured that an insight into the respective plans was provided by the highest level authorities, that is: Mr. Koen Geens, the Belgian Minister of Justice, and Mr. Dennis Hesemans, senior counsel to the Dutch Minister of Justice. The Board is equally honoured that on behalf of the European Commission, Mrs. Karen Vandekerckhove, Acting Head of Unit at DG Justice and Consumers, was willing to discuss the outcomes of the recent official Evaluation of the EU Mediation Directive 52/2008. These findings made it possible to assess the Belgian and Dutch plans in a broader European perspective. The presentations delivered by these three keynote speakers have been reworked and are included as main contributions in this Volume.