From September 25th to 26th, the Council of Europe organised a study visit for a delegation of Georgian mediators and judges to the Netherlands. The purpose of this visit was to familiarize the Georgian authorities with the Dutch system of court-annexed and private mediation and enhance their skills for processing referrals.

The delegation met with the representatives of the Mediators Federation Netherlands, the Council for the Judiciary and the Council for Legal Aid.

During the study visit, the delegation had the unique opportunity to explore the structure and operation of the Dutch mediation system. Participants were introduced to features of mediation, including its organizational structure, referral procedures, aspects of mediation agreement, mediation under legal aid scheme etc. They received first-hand information from a Dutch judge on the distinctive characteristics of court-annexed mediation, the functions of mediation bureaus within the courts, the selection criteria for cases and practical illustrations of real cases from various legal areas. The participants also visited a mediation bureau in the district Court of Breda.

The study visit was organised by the Council of Europe Project “Promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms in Georgia.”