Points to note

An arbitral tribunal is only competent for the settlement of a dispute – in place of and under the exclusion of court proceedings – if the parties to the dispute have agreed to this. The agreement must refer to all or individual disputes which have arisen in relation to a certain contractual or non-contractual legal relationship or which could arise in the future; the agreement can therefore be made prior to or after the existence of a claim. All pecuniary claims are capable of being arbitrated, even those against the state or other public bodies.