Belgium/Netherlands (Iron Rhine Arbitration) (original) (raw)

printer-friendly version

Belgium/Netherlands ("Iron Rhine Arbitration")

In July 2003, The Kingdom of Belgium and The Kingdom of the Netherlands agreed to submit to submit to an arbitral tribunal established under the auspices of the PCA a dispute between them concerning the so-called Iron Rhine railway line. An Award was rendered by the Tribunal on May 24, 2005. Pursuant to Requests submitted by Belgium, the arbitral tribunal also issued an Interpretation of the Award and Correction to the Award on September 20, 2005.

The arbitral tribunal consisted of:

Judge Rosalyn Higgins (President)
Professor Guy Schrans
Judge Bruno Simma
Professor Alfred Soons
Judge Peter Tomka

The following PDF documents pertaining to this arbitration can be downloaded:

Arbitration Agreement

Rules of Procedure

Pleadings submitted by the parties:
Memorial (Belgium)
Table of Contents

Text of Memorial
Counter-Memorial (The Netherlands)
Reply (Belgium)
Table of Contents

Award of the arbitral tribunal (unofficial French translation)

Press release dated May 24, 2005
Press release dated May 20, 2005

Note:
The PCA does not itself render awards. Rather, the award in the Iron Rhine Arbitration was rendered by the arbitral tribunal. Thus, although the Iron Rhine Arbitration was conducted “under the auspices of the Permanent Court of Arbitration,” the award is not, as has been suggested in certain press reports related to this arbitration, a “verdict” or “decision” of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.