Germany is in the process of renewing its arbitration law, which
in its current version dates from 1997. In April 2023, the German
Federal Ministry of Justice (the "Ministry") published a
Key Issues Paper,
identifying potential areas of improvement of Germany's current
arbitration law. After extensive feedback and discussion in the
German arbitration community, the Ministry has now followed up with
a Draft Bill for the
Modernization of the German Arbitration Law (the "Draft
Bill").
The Draft Bill aims to improve the efficiency of arbitral
proceedings conducted in Germany and strengthen Germany's
position as an international arbitration venue. Among other things,
the Draft Bill seeks to make use of technological advancements and
respond to recent national reforms in neighboring European
countries, including Switzerland and Austria. The reception of the
Draft Bill has been overwhelmingly positive, as reflected in
feedback the German Arbitration Institute ("DIS")