On February 2, 2023, the new amendments to the Law on Mediation were published in the State Gazette.The same will apply from July 1, 2024. According to the newly adopted rules, court mediation centers will be opened at each district court. In these centers, mediators will only be lawyers who meet the basic requirements for a mediator, but have undergone additional selection and specialized training. According to the new legislation, mediation becomes mandatory in certain cases of pending court cases and the court is obliged or, at its discretion, may oblige the parties to participate in a mediation procedure, which will take place in a judicial mediation center of the relevant court.

Agreements on pending court casesconcluded in a mediation procedure at the relevant Judicial Mediation Center must be concluded in writing. If the parties agree that the agreement has the force of a court settlement, it is submitted for approval by the court before which the case is pending.

In connection with the changes in the Law on Mediation the following changes were also made in the Civil Procedure Code (CPC), providing for mandatory mediation in certain categories of cases.