Samenvatting

This article contains a sketch of the use and organisation of arbitration in the Dutch construction industry. In Holland contractual issues in construction contracts are dealt with by arbitration in the vast majority of issues. There are several arbitration institutes of which the Arbitration Board for the Building Industry is the most important. This institute published (anonymously) over a 1000 judgments in 2011. The main issues of the Dutch arbitration act and of the new act are discussed in this article. The following important new developments are being described: the arbitration clause in general conditions in contracts with a consumer (the effectiveness of these clause will be severely limited in the new act); getting an arbitrational award annulled by the state judge (very difficult as it is) is limited since this will only be asked for in front of the appeal court and not (like the present situation) first in the district court and than in the appeal court; judgments do not have to contain a motivation any more if parties say they can do without (a dangerous development).