Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

Twelve years after the enactment of a revolutionary Arbitration Act in Spain, the use of the procedure in that country is growing. In this article, Ramón Mullerat describes the ground-breaking features of the Arbitration Act of 1988, as well as the nuances of the arbitration procedure as practiced and utilized in Spain.

Alternative dispute resolution and arbitration1 are gradually becoming popular in Spain.2 As in other jurisdictions, people and particularly business concerns in Spain are disillusioned by the complexity and delays associated with most formal procedures.

Following the lines of the Spanish Constitution (art. 38), arbitration allows for the freedom of choice of proceedings. This gives private persons the right to make free dispositions in their best interests, including the option of whether or not to resort to judicial proceedings to defend these interests.

Among the different theories of the nature of arbitration—contractual, jurisdictional, mixed—the Spanish arbitration system falls under the category of mixed theory because although arbitrators and judges share many similarities, the arbitration convention clearly shows the contractual nature of arbitration.3

There are a large number of institutions administering arbitration in Spain.4 Some of them specialize in a particular type of dispute (consumer, labor, maritime, etc.) Among those dealing with general commercial disputes are the Tribunal Arbitral de Barcelona, Corte de Arbitraje de Madrid, Sociedad Española de Arbitraje de Madrid and Corte Civil y Mercantil de Arbitraje de Madrid. The number of arbitration proceedings in Spain is still limited, but growing. For instance, arbitrations administered by the Tribunal Arbitral de Barcelona totaled 68 in 1997, 84 in 1998, and 84 in 1999.5