CEPANI Arbitration Rules: What You Need To Know About The 2026 Revision

CEPANI, the Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation, is an independent body that administers arbitration proceedings in accordance with its own Arbitration Rules. The case is decided by independent and impartial arbitrators, appointed by the parties to the arbitration and/or CEPANI. 

Arbitration under the CEPANI Arbitration Rules results in a final, binding award which has the same value as a final state court decision. 

On 1 June 2026 a new version of the CEPANI Arbitration Rules will enter into force.
 

The most visible upgrade in the 2026 Rules is a comprehensive embrace of the digital era. The 2026 Arbitration Rules enable proceedings to be conducted fully electronically, including virtual hearings, digital submissions, and the electronic signing of arbitral awards.

The most significant practical novelty is the electronic award. Under the 2026 Arbitration Rules, if all parties expressly agree, the Arbitral Tribunal may render the Award solely in electronic form by adding a qualified electronic signature as referred to in Article 3(12) of Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (the eIDAS Regulation). 

For parties and practitioners, this means that fully paperless arbitrations – from request to award –are now explicitly contemplated and governed by the Rules. This reduces administrative burden, accelerates timelines, and aligns CEPANI with leading international arbitral institutions that have moved in the same direction. However, depending on where the award is to be enforced, a hard copy award may still be required or preferable.
 

Complex commercial disputes frequently involve more than two parties, multiple contracts, and questions of joinder or consolidation. The 2026 Arbitration Rules significantly sharpen the provisions in this area.

For example, under the 2023 Arbitration Rules, Article 11.2 provided that no intervention or joinder could take place after the Appointments Committee or the President had appointed or confirmed "each" of the members of the Arbitral Tribunal. The 2026 Arbitration Rules tighten this threshold: no intervention or joinder may take place after the Appointments Committee or the President has appointed or confirmed "any" of the members of the Arbitral Tribunal, unless all parties including the third party have agreed otherwise, or as provided in the new Articles 12.3 and 12.4. Those new provisions give the constituted Tribunal clear authority to decide late joinder requests itself, taking into account all relevant circumstances including the timing of the request, possible conflicts of interest, and the impact of the intervention or joinder on the arbitral procedure.

Also, under the 2023 Arbitration Rules, multiple claimants and multiple respondents were each required to jointly nominate an arbitrator, whereas the 2026 Arbitration Rules soften this to a permission rather than an obligation: multiple claimants jointly, and multiple respondents jointly, "may" each nominate one arbitrator for confirmation. This subtle but meaningful shift gives CEPANI greater flexibility to appoint all members of the Arbitral Tribunal where joint nominations prove impractical.
 

One of the most substantive structural additions in the 2026 revision is the introduction of a dedicated Schedule IV setting out comprehensive guidelines on the use of arbitral secretaries. Under the new Schedule IV, the Arbitral Tribunal may appoint a person to assist it with the administration and management of the case (an arbitral secretary) in situations where such appointment will contribute to a more effective and efficient resolution of the dispute. This is already daily practice in many arbitrations, but now also formally included in the CEPANI Arbitration Rules, whereby the role of the tribunal secretary is now clearly defined.
 

The 2026 Arbitration Rules formalise CEPANI's commitment to mediation as a complement to arbitration. The request for arbitration must now include any proposal by the Claimant to submit all or part of the dispute to mediation. If the parties agree to start a mediation, the arbitral proceedings shall be suspended until the parties or one of them inform the Secretariat that the mediation has ended. The purpose of the procedural conference is now explicitly expanded to include consideration of any measure capable of facilitating the amicable solution of the dispute, including mediation. 
 

The 2026 Rules embed values that have come to define modern institutional arbitration. The new rules reflect CEPANI's ongoing commitment to sustainability, diversity and inclusion, with provisions encouraging the consideration of diverse arbitrator appointments and the use of neutral and inclusive language throughout, aligning with best practices and evolving global standards.