What is mediation?

Mediation is an amicable, voluntary and confidential process for resolving disputes.

The aim is to offer the parties in dispute the services of an independent and impartial third party trained in mediation. The mediator helps the parties reach a negotiated solution that is in their best interests and puts an end to the dispute. The mediator is neither a judge nor an arbitrator, but rather a ‘catalyst’ whose mission is to facilitate and enable negotiations between the parties in order to help them find a solution themselves. It is not the role of the mediator to settle the dispute.

The success of this amicable procedure depends on the mediator’s independence and his or her ability to facilitate listening and exchange between the parties. The parties are given complete freedom, since the outcome of the process depends exclusively on their will (they may decide to withdraw from the process at any time).