Mediators are trained to help people resolve disputes. A mediator will meet the two sides, will identify the issues which cannot be agreed and will help to reach agreement. Mediators are neutral and will not take sides in any dispute. Mediators are not advisers and will not give advice on individual positions and will usually recommend that legal advice is sought alongside the mediation process.

Mediation can be particularly helpful in cross-border family disputes and parental child abduction cases. In such situations, parents are encouraged to take responsibility for the decisions concerning their family and to resolve conflicts independent of the judicial system. Mediation can therefore create a constructive atmosphere for discussions and ensure fair dealings between parents which also take account of the best interest of the child.

To obtain detailed information on finding a mediator (e.g. how to access mediation services, what the charges are and guidance on mediators) please select one of the flags listed on the right hand side.

To find a mediator specialised in cross-border family mediation follow the link: http://www.crossbordermediator.eu/

To read more about mediation please visit the relevant section.

To read more about cross-border family mediation please visit the relevant section.

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Find a mediator - Belgium

This section of the portal enables you to find a mediator in Belgium.

How to find a mediator in Belgium

You can visit the following Internet site to find a mediator in Belgium:

• Internet site of the Federal Public Service Justice devoted to mediation - an alternative to court.

There you will find the information listed below:

• Introduction to mediation
• The mediator
• The mediation process
• After mediation
• The cost of mediation
• Link to a brochure on mediation (PDF)
• Useful addresses and links

The site also has a Professionals’ Corner, which contains information about:

• Mediator accreditation criteria
• Instructions on submitting an application for mediator accreditation based on the Act of 21 February 2005
• A checklist for applying for mediator recognition
• Basic training and continuing training
• The Code of Conduct for accredited mediators
• Handling of complaints

Are there charges to access the database?

No, there are no charges to access the database.

Looking for a mediator in Belgium

You can look for a mediator in Belgium in the List of Mediators using the following criteria:  

• district,
• profession,
• area of activity,
• language spoken,
• name.

Related Links

Federal Public Service Justice

Mediation, an alternative to court

List of Mediators

How to find a mediator in Bulgaria

The Ministry of Justice maintains the Unified Register of Mediators.

The Register contains the following data:

• Personal information about the individuals registered as mediators – education, languages spoken and additional qualifications in the field of mediation
• Contact information of the mediator – office address, telephone and e-mail

In addition to this, the Ministry of Justice maintains a register of the organisations that have been approved to provide training for mediators.

Entries in the register are based on regulations of:

• The Law of Mediation
• Regulation No 2 of 15^th March 2007 (issued by the Minister of Justice) sets out the conditions and process of approving organisations that provide training for mediators; the requirements for training; the procedure for entering, striking off and deleting mediators from the Unified Register and the procedural and ethical rules for the conduct of mediators.

Is access to the Bulgarian mediators' register free of charge?

You can access the Bulgarian unified register of mediators free of charge from the website of the Ministry of Justice. Individuals and organisations that wish to be listed in the register of organisations providing training in mediation skills have to pay a fee.

How to search for a mediator in Bulgaria?

On the Ministry of Justice’s website, you can find a complete list of persons trained and authorised to conduct mediation in the Republic of Bulgaria. You can search for mediators by residence and area of mediation (e.g. commercial, business or family mediation).

Contact information is available, including telephone number and e-mail. You can contact officials of the register of mediators to receive any additional information you need.

How to find a mediator in the Czech Republic ?

Contacts for mediators working in the Czech Republic may be found on various websites by entering the search term 'mediation'. A list of mediators in the Czech Mediators Association may be found on that organisation's website. A list of mediators and advocates is published on the Czech Bar Association website, and contacts may also be found on the website of the Union for Arbitration and Mediation Procedures of the Czech Republic. Contacts for the Probation and Mediation Service of the Czech Republic, acting within the remit of the relevant district courts, may be found on the Service's website. A list of mediators registered in accordance with Act No 202/2012 on mediation, held by the Ministry of Justice, is to be published shortly.

Is access to the Czech Republic mediators' register free of charge?

Yes, the mediators' register is free of charge.

How to find a mediator in the Czech Republic

Contacts for mediators working in the Czech Republic may be found on various websites by entering the search term 'mediation'.

No information on how to find a mediator in Denmark is currently available.

How to find a mediator in Germany

Currently, a number of professional associations support parties who wish to use a mediator.

Please see below for a non-exhaustive list of some of the larger associations:

• Federal Association for Family Mediation (Bundes-Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Familien-Mediation e.V. (BAFM), Wittestr. 30 K, 13509 Berlin, Germany)
• Federal Association for Mediation (Bundesverband Mediation e.V. (BM), Spichernstr. 11, 10777 Berlin, Germany)
• Federal Association for Economic and Professional Mediation (Bundesverband Mediation in Wirtschaft und Arbeitswelt e.V. (BMWA), Prinzregentenstr. 1, 86150 Augsburg, Germany)
• Centre for Mediation (Centrale für Mediation GmbH & Co. KG (CfM), Gustav-Heinemann-Ufer 58, 50968 Cologne, Germany)
• German Lawyers' Association (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mediation im Deutschen Anwaltverein, Littenstraße 11, 10179 Berlin, Germany)

Is access to the mediators’ database free of charge?

Yes.

How to search for a mediator in Germany

You can search for a mediator by name, by office location, by area of expertise or by postcode.

Related links

Federal Association for Family Mediation

Federal Association for Mediation

Federal Association for Economic and Professional Mediation

Centre for Mediation

German Lawyers' Association

At the moment, Estonia does not have a general website or database concerning mediators. Pursuant to the Conciliation Act, anyone meeting the requirements laid down in the Act may act as a conciliator. There is no State monitoring of the activities of conciliators.

Pursuant to the Conciliation Act, the following may be a conciliator:

1. a natural person entrusted by the parties with carrying out the conciliation procedure and helping to resolve the dispute. The conciliator may act through a legal person with whom they are in an employment or other contractual relationship;
2. an attorney-at-law — the list of members of the Estonian Bar Association is available on its website;
3. a notary — a list of notary’s offices is available on the website of the Chamber of Notaries;
4. in the case laid down in the Conciliation Act, a State or local government conciliation body.

Some copyright-related disputes (cf. the Copyright Act) are resolved by a committee of copyright experts in the role of conciliator. This committee has been set up under the Ministry of Justice.

Although the concept of ‘ombudsman’ is not used in the Chancellor of Justice Act, the Chancellor of Justice also performs the functions of an ombudsman, in monitoring whether government bodies comply with people’s fundamental rights and freedoms and with the principles of good governance and also monitoring local governments, legal persons in public law and private entities performing public functions. Since 2011 the Chancellor of Justice has also performed the functions of the ombudsman for children under Article 4 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. You can find out more on the website of the Chancellor of Justice.

Resolving collective labour disputes is the function of the Public Conciliator, and more information is available on the website.

You can also contact the following non-government organisations:

• The Estonian Association of Mediators provides information in both Estonian and English. The contact person is Anneli Liivamägi.
• The Estonian Union for Child Welfare is a non-profit association that supports children’s rights. Its activities include giving advice to parents who wish to separate or divorce, encouraging them to use the services of conciliators in order to protect their children’s interests. The Union has organised training sessions on the subject of family mediation.
• The Estonian Insurance Association has set up an insurance mediator to deal with disputes between insurance holders and insurers or insurance brokers.

Ireland does not have a mediator database, however, mediators can be found for various areas of law by consulting the following private bodies.

• Family Law: the Family Mediation Service (http://www.familymediation.ie)
• Discrimination: the Equality Tribunal, the National Disability Authority (http://www.equalitytribunal.ie and http://www.nda.ie)
• Land Law: the Private Residential Tenancy Board (https://portal.prtb.ie/)
• Labour Relations:
• the Labour Court, the Labour Relations Commission (http://www.lrc.ie)
• Personal Injuries: http://www.injuriesboard.ie

See the "Mediation in Ireland" page for general information on mediation.

How to find a mediator in Greece

This information is given in our response on mediation in Greece.

As mentioned there, tables of certified mediators and mediator training organisations may be found on the website of the Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights.

Moreover, the website of the Consumer Ombudsman provides the general public with information about alternative resolution of consumer disputes.

Is access to the mediators' database free of charge?

Yes, access to the above websites is free of charge.

Related links

Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights

Consumer Ombudsman

Ministry of Labour and Social Security

Hellenic Centre for Mediation and Arbitration

How to find a mediator in Spain

Under Law 5/2012 on mediation in civil and commercial matters, mediators must have an official university or advanced vocational training qualification and specific training in mediation acquired through attending one or more specific courses taught by officially recognised institutions. These qualifications must be valid throughout Spain.

The laws and implementing provisions of certain Autonomous Communities specify the required training for family mediation. As a general rule, mediators are required to have at least a university diploma plus 100-300 course hours of practical training in mediation.

Specific mediation training is usually provided by university institutes and professional associations, e.g. of psychologists or lawyers.

There is no single register of mediators. There are several ways of finding specialised mediators:

• For criminal law cases, the parties must ask the court to appoint a mediator
• For employment law cases, the mediator can sometimes be selected from the list of mediators of the relevant body
• For family law cases, mediators are appointed by the agency in question with the court, although it is also possible for the parties to have recourse to a qualified mediator
• It is possible to contact a family mediator through the various professional associations that keep a register or list (the bar associations and professional associations of psychologists, social workers and trainers).

Until now it has been the Autonomous Communities which require the associations to keep these lists.

Is access to the databases of mediators free of charge?

There is no national register. In any case, access to the lists of the professional associations is free of charge.

How to find a mediator in Spain

You can contact the relevant professional association for information on registered mediators.

For the moment, France does not have a database of mediators.

At present there is no public list of mediators.

The Ministry of Justice regularly publishes a list of mediation bodies to which various mediators belong.

You can get more specific information about the mediators of each mediation body by asking the department of the Ministry of Justice responsible for supervising such bodies. It can be contacted via the Ministry's website (http://www.giustizia.it/).

How to find a mediator in Cyprus

Visit Mediation in Cyprus.

Please consult the mediation website for contact information on non-governmental mediation organisations in Latvia.

Related Links

Mediation in Latvia

How to find a mediator in Lithuania

Court and out-of-court mediation are possible in Lithuania. Out-of-court mediation services are usually provided by lawyers.

Court mediation is a dispute resolution procedure which aims to help parties in civil cases resolve their dispute peacefully through the intercession of one or more mediators (intermediaries).

Court meditation is performed by mediators. These are specially trained judges, judicial assistants or other suitably qualified persons whose names have been included on the List of court mediators. At its meeting on 28 January 2011, the Judicial Council agreed that court mediation in civil proceedings could be applied in all of Lithuania's courts and that this service should be available irrespective of region.

Court mediation is a service provided free of charge, Furthermore, choosing to resolve a civil dispute using court mediation saves a considerable amount of time and effort otherwise wasted in litigation. Money is also saved, as 75 % of court fees are reimbursable when court mediation results in an amicable settlement.

A proposal to refer a civil case for court mediation can be made by the presiding judge. A wish for this to be done can be expressed by any party to the proceedings. When referring a dispute for court mediation, the judge explains the concept of the court mediation process to the parties. The appointment or replacement of a mediator is decided by the President of the court, the Head of the Court's Civil Case Department, or a judge appointed by them. Two mediators can be appointed if necessary. When appointing a mediator, the opinion of the parties in making the request or consenting to refer the dispute for court mediation must be taken into account.

Only parties to the proceedings, third parties and their representatives may participate in court mediation. Other persons whose participation may help resolve the dispute may also add their names to the request or consent of either party. Court mediation proceedings are not recorded.

Court mediation proceedings may be terminated if the parties come to an agreement on the matter in dispute and sign a court settlement, which is then approved by the presiding judge.

How to find a mediator in Luxembourg

The following private organisations manage a register of mediators:

• Association luxembourgeoise de la médiation et des médiateurs agréés (ALMA asbl - Luxembourg Association of Mediation and Authorised Mediators);
• Centre de médiation du Barreau du Luxembourg (CMBL asbl - Mediation Centre of the Luxembourg Bar);
• Centre de médiation (asbl) (Mediation Centre));
• Centre de médiation Socio-Familiale (Family Welfare Mediation Centre) (managed by the Pro Familia foundation);

Is access to the mediators database free of charge?

Yes, access to the mediators database is free of charge.

How to search for a mediator in Luxembourg

The list of mediators managed by the following private organisations can be consulted and searched:

• Association luxembourgeoise de la médiation et des médiateurs agréés (ALMA asbl);
• Centre de médiation du Barreau du Luxembourg (CMBL);
• Centre de médiation (asbl);
• Centre de médiation Socio-Familial (managed by the Pro Familia foundation);
• Ministry of Justice, List of accredited mediators in civil and commercial matters

Related links

Association luxembourgeoise de la médiation et des médiateurs agréés

Le centre de médiation du Barreau du Luxembourg

Centre de médiation

Centre de médiation Socio-Familiale

Ministry of Justice

How to find a mediator in Hungary

You can find the register of mediators (közvetítők adatbázisa) on the website of the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice (Közigazgatási és Igazságügyi Minisztérium).

The following general information is available to users:

• General information on mediation activity
• Information on mediators
• Information on legal persons employing mediators
• Mediators' addresses, qualifications, language skills, expertise and the county in which they are active.

The site also provides registration forms for mediators and legal persons who employ mediators.

Is access to the mediators' database free of charge?

Yes, access is free and no restrictions apply.

How to search for a mediator in Hungary

The site contains a list of mediators and a list of legal persons employing mediators. You can search for mediators by name, language skill and county of operation. You can search for legal persons by name, county and abbreviated name.

Related Links

Website of the Register of Hungarian Mediators (A magyar közvetítők adatbázisának honlapja)

How to find a Mediator in Malta

Malta's Mediation Centre provides the parties with a list of mediators duly accredited by the Centre. Whether in the case of a voluntary mediation or one that is referred to the Centre by the court or by law, a mediator is selected by the disputing parties from the list of accredited mediators, provided the person chosen is mutually acceptable to all the parties to the dispute. If the parties do not agree on the choice of a mutually acceptable mediator, the Centre will appoint as mediator the person whose name is next on the list of approved mediators.

In family mediation, parties can either select by mutual consent a mediator of their choice from a list of persons appointed by the Minister responsible for Justice for that purpose, and in this case the parties bear the costs of mediation themselves, or the Court assigns a mediator, on a rota basis, from the list of persons appointed by the same Minister to act as court-appointed mediators, in which case the fees due to the mediators are paid by the Registrar, Civil Courts and Tribunal.

For the time being, an electronic register of mediators does not exist as yet. However, in case of queries you can contact the Centre through the Registrar at Malta Mediation Centre, Palazzo Laparelli, South Street, Valletta VLT 1100.

To contact the Registrar you can call the following number: +356 21231833 or e-mail: info@mediationmalta.org.mt

How to find a mediator in the Netherlands

The Netherlands Mediation Institute (NMI) maintains a publicly accessible database containing details of all qualified mediators. It also provides independent information and quality assurance in respect of mediation and mediators nationwide.

NMI-registered mediators are trained and qualified to act as mediators, in accordance with the NMI mediation rules, and are committed to the NMI Quality Assurance System.

You can access the NMI Register of Mediators at any time that suits you.

Is access to the mediators' register free of charge?

Yes, access is free of charge.

How to search for a mediator in the Netherlands

The register can be searched using different search parameters. For example, you can search for a mediator with a certain area of expertise, or one working in a certain area.

Related Links

Netherlands Mediation Institute

How to find a mediator in Austria

The Austrian Federal Ministry of Justice maintains a list of registered mediators, which comply with legal and formal requirements.

A dedicated website was established. It can also be accessed from the Ministry of Justice's website .

The following may be found from the website:

• A list of mediators
• A list of organisations which train mediators, and
• A list of training courses

Is access to the mediators' database free of charge?

The website is publicly available and access is free of charge.

How to search for a mediator in Austria

From the website, lists of mediators may be sorted by:

• Name,
• Postal Code, and
• Province.

Mediators can be found using the following search criteria:

• First name and last name
• Postal Code
• Province
• Country
• Area of expertise

Search criteria can also be combined.

Related Links

Mediators in Austria

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Find a mediator - Poland

This section helps you to find a mediator in Poland.

How to find a mediator in Poland

Lists of mediators are kept by district courts. Mediators, including persons from lists drawn up by non-governmental organisations in accordance with their statutory tasks and educational establishments, are added to and removed from the lists by the president of the district court in question. However, due to the allocation of competences between regional and central authorities, it is not possible to access a central list of mediators.

Basic information on rules, procedures and practical aspects of the mediation arrangements in Poland can be found on the Mediation page of the website of the Ministry of Justice, which is managed in cooperation with the Council for Alternative Methods of Dispute and Conflict Resolution (ADR Council).

Is access to the database of mediators free of charge?

Yes, access to the database of mediators is free of charge.

How to find a mediator in Poland

You should use the lists of mediators drawn up by district court presidents or the services of mediation associations or individual mediators. Information and contact details can usually be found on the website of the courts, associations or mediators in question.

How to find a mediator in Portugal

The Directorate-General for Justice Policy (DGPJ) does not provide information on how to find a mediator. Where public mediation services are required, the applicable national legislation requires a mediator to be selected automatically from the lists of mediators.

The DGPJ website provides information about mediation, arbitration proceedings, institutional arbitration and justices of the peace (julgados de paz).

Is access to the mediators database free of charge?

Yes, access to the database is free of charge.

Mediators database archives

The DGPJ website contains information dating back to October 2008.

Useful links

Directorate-General for Justice Policy

How to find a mediator in Romania

In accordance with Article 12 of Law 192/2006, authorised mediators are registered in the Panel of Mediators, created and updated by the Mediation Council and periodically published in the Romanian Official Journal, Part I.

The Panel of Mediators is also available on the official website of the Mediation Council.

The website of the Mediation Council provides the following information:

• Panel/List of mediators;
• Authorisation;
• Accreditation;
• Modification;
• Legislation;
• Public interest information;
• Decisions;
• National Register of the Professional Associations of Mediators;
• Links;
• Contact information.

Information on the website of the Mediation Council has been available since 2 November 2006.

Additional information available from the Panel of Mediators includes:

• The NGO mediators are members of;
• The mediation training programme they graduated from;
• The foreign language they are able to conduct mediation in;
• Their contact details.

If you are interested in resolving a dispute using mediation, you can call upon a mediator. The panel of mediators is displayed on the premises of the courts and on the website of the Ministry of Justice.

The Panel of Mediators is periodically updated by the Mediation Council which communicates the updates to the courts, the national and local government authorities and the Ministry of Justice.

Is access to the mediators' database free of charge?

Yes

How to search for a mediator in Romania

You can search for a mediator using the following criteria:

• First letter of the mediator's name and,
• The county of establishment of their main office.

NOTĂ: Versiunea în limba originală a acestei pagini a fost modificată recent. Versiunea lingvistică pe care o consultați acum este în lucru la traducătorii noștri.

Find a mediator - Slovenia

This section helps you to find a mediator in Slovenia

How to find a mediator in Slovenia

The Ministry of Justice and Public Administration keeps aCentral register of mediators working in court programmes under the Act on Alternative Dispute Resolution in Judicial Matters. Directories of mediators operating under the auspices of various non-governmental organisations can be found on those organisations’ websites, e.g.:

• the Slovenian Association of Mediators,
• the Slovenian Association of Mediation Organisations - MEDIOS.

Is access to the mediators' database free of charge?

Yes, access to the database is free of charge.

How to search for a mediator in Slovenia

You can find a mediator in Slovenia on the websites of:

• the Slovenian Association of Mediators,
• Ljubljana District Court.

Related links

Mediation in Slovenia, Mediation in Slovenia

How to find a mediator in Slovakia

The Slovak mediators' database is owned and maintained by the Slovak Ministry of Justice, and is only available in the Slovak language.

Is access to the mediators' database free of charge?

Yes, access to information about mediators and the retrieval of information are free of charge.

How to search for a mediator in Slovakia

Please refer to the website of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic.

NOTĂ: Versiunea în limba originală a acestei pagini a fost modificată recent. Versiunea lingvistică pe care o consultați acum este în lucru la traducătorii noștri.

Find a mediator - Finland

This section helps you to find a mediator in Finland.

How to find a mediator in Finland

In Finland, the National Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) maintains the official website of Mediation in Criminal and Civil cases.

This website provides information on conciliation (mediation in criminal matters).

A list of mediation offices and state provincial offices is also available on website.

Is access to the mediators' database free of charge?

Yes, access and retrieval of information from the website of Mediation in Criminal and Civil cases is free of charge.

How to search for a mediator in Finland

You can search on the website of the National Institute of Health and Welfare. .

Related Links

National Institute of Health and Welfare

Sweden does not have a mediators' database.

How to find a mediator in England and Wales

National mediation directory

You can find a civil mediator through the Civil Mediation online directory - Find a Civil Mediator, which provides information about:

• Mediation
• Services
• Pricing

The Civil Mediation Online Directory is owned and maintained by the Ministry of Justice.  The mediation providers included in the directory are accredited by the Civil Mediation Council.

Family mediation directory

The aim of the Family Mediation Online Directory is to help parties to contact mediators local to them. Parties who are eligible for legal aid (public funding) can also contact the Community Legal Advice helpline for further information on locating a local mediator on Telephone: 0845 345 4345 Minicom: 0845 609 6677, Text: 'legalaid' and your name to 80010.  Advice can also be obtained via the Community Legal Advice online advisor service.

Is access to the mediators' database free of charge?

Yes, access to the Civil Mediation Online Directory, the Family Mediator Online Directory and the Community Legal Advice website is free of charge.

Related Links

Civil Mediation Online Directory, Family Mediator Online Directory, Check if you can get legal aid,  Community Legal Advice,

How to find a mediator in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland does not have a database of mediators. However, the following organisations provide a mediation service and can provide information on mediators.

Related Links

Law Society of Northern Ireland

The Bar of Northern Ireland

Family Mediation: Northern Ireland

How to find a mediator in Scotland

The Scottish Mediation Network (SMN) administers the Scottish Mediation Register (SMR) which provides an independent register of mediators and mediation services who meet minimum ‘practice standards’ for mediating in Scotland. These standards are set by an independent Practice Standards committee and require minimum levels of training, experience and continuing professional development (CPD).

The 'Find a Mediator' page of the SMN website offers free access to information about people who practice all kinds of mediation. The data on the page is updated by the mediators at least once a year and includes information on their training, CPD and areas of expertise.

One of the aims of the Scottish Mediation Register is to reassure people of the professional quality of the mediators they select by certifying that they meet the minimum standards. Mediators who appear on the SMR can call themselves a ‘Scottish Mediation Registered Mediator’ and use the SMR logo next to their name.

The SMN office also administers the Scottish Mediation Helpline which provides advice and information for people on mediation and how to access it. Through the Helpline, SMN can also arrange mediations through a panel of mediators on the SMR or refer people to an appropriate mediation service.

SMN also supports and promotes the process of mediation for NHS complaints in Scotland – this work is funded by the Scottish Government. Further information about mediation and how to access it can be found on the SMN website.

The Scottish Government has also published a booklet – ‘Resolving Disputes without Going to Court’ – which gives you advice about mediation and other ADR. This can be downloaded from the website of the Scottish Government.

Is access to the mediators' database free of charge?

Yes, access to information about mediators is free of charge.

To search for a mediator you can do following:

Access the website by clicking on the link to the Scottish Mediation Register or type the URL http://www.scottishmediation.org.uk/find-a-mediator into your browser and then follow the instructions to find the best mediator for you and your circumstances.

Contact the Scottish Mediation Network via their website, by writing to them at 18 York Place, Edinburgh EH1 3EP, UK or telephoning them on +44 (0) 131 556 1221.

Related Links

Scottish Mediation Network
Scottish Mediation Register
Scottish Government’s publication