Mediation in Slovenia: A Fruitful and Widespread Tool for Resolving Disputes

This contribution aims to provide an overview of the legal landscape for mediation in Slovenia. It embarks first on the overview of the existing situation of ADR in Slovenia, identifying the court-annexed mediation in civil and commercial matters that are carried out under the auspices of the courts as the most commonly used method. This is followed by the examination of the basis for mediation in Slovenia, primarily focusing on the Mediation Act, with short overview of some other legal instruments touching on conduct of mediation (the Act on Alternative Dispute Resolution in Judicial Matters, the Civil Procedure Act, Financial Operations, the Insolvency Act, the Patients Rights Act). The contribution provides the sketch of the rules relating to the mediation agreement/agreement to submit the dispute to mediation, the mediator, the process of mediation, failure and success of the mediation and the consequences, examining also rules related to the enforcement, the settlement and costs. Further, also the cross-border mediation is examined, before the chapter concludes with the overview of e-Justice in Slovenia.