Arbitration has been a practice area in Sweden for many years. Although the current Swedish Arbitration Act has been in force for only five years, its predecessor was already enacted in 1929 and arbitration was well-known long before that. Accordingly, arbitration in Sweden has been a significant part of dispute resolution for a long time. Sweden also has an impressive history as an arbitration venue and continues to play an active part in international dispute resolutions. But because of its long-standing reputation, the significant increase in arbitration reported in other European countries cannot be found in Sweden.
However, despite its history in Sweden, the character of arbitration disputes has naturally changed over time. Today a growing number of agreements have arbitration clauses. As a consequence, most commercial disputes are resolved by arbitration. According to the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, the most common type of agreements that have been in dispute over the last 10 years are delivery contracts.
