Slovenia: A Dispute Resolution Overview

Dispute resolution in Slovenia has traditionally relied on court proceedings. However, in recent years, parties have increasingly sought faster and more efficient ways to resolve their disputes through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, particularly arbitration and mediation. At the same time, the ongoing digitalisation of court proceedings is expected to enhance the efficiency of the judicial system and make court processes more accessible and user-friendly for the parties involved. Sector-specific disputes are increasingly emerging, where the nature and substance of the claims determine whether disputes are addressed through collective or individual proceedings.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Each year, just under 700,000 new cases are initiated before the Slovenian courts. In purely numerical terms, the courts resolve only slightly fewer cases than the total number of new cases. After that point, the number of unresolved cases began to increase again, rising by just over 7% by the end of 2025. The number of unresolved cases in courts of first instance with jurisdiction over commercial disputes increased even further, rising by 14% in 2025. The number of unresolved cases at the Administrative Court, which is often relevant for businesses, increased by just under 1%. Although the number of unresolved commercial cases at the Supreme Court and appellate courts is decreasing, the high volume of cases at the first-instance level can quickly translate into increased caseloads at the appellate and Supreme Court levels.

Judicial statistics indicate that the first-instance courts take more than one year to resolve a third of commercial disputes, including more complex cases that require expert opinions and the examination of intricate factual issues. The most demanding cases – such as those involving non-compliance of industrial products and equipment – typically take five to six years to resolve. At the busiest first-instance court in Ljubljana, the first hearing will take up to three years.

At the appellate level, more complex commercial disputes are generally resolved within one to two years, while cases taking longer than two years are less common.

In administrative and labour disputes, the majority of cases relevant to businesses are resolved within one year from the filing of the claim.

Interim measures are generally issued within two weeks of a complete application, and enforcement orders are usually granted without delay.

Due to the protracted nature of court proceedings, ADR continues to be highly popular, with parties frequently opting for arbitration or mediation. However, when the parties’ positions are too far apart, ADR is generally unsuitable, and court or arbitration tribunal intervention becomes necessary.

Arbitration offers a faster, more flexible alternative to court proceedings. Parties benefit from selecting expert arbitrators, maintaining confidentiality, and enforcing awards internationally. Arbitration also preserves business relationships, reduces procedural delays, and allows tailored solutions for complex disputes, making it an efficient and practical solution for commercial disputes. The Ljubljana Arbitration Centre remains the primary choice for arbitration at both the local and regional levels.

Mediation is a structured, voluntary, and confidential process in which disputing parties, guided by a neutral third party (the mediator), seek an amicable and mutually agreed resolution. In addition to court-based mediation, there is also a Mediation Centre at the Slovenian Bar Association. Mediation can also be conducted on an ad hoc basis, organised independently by the parties involved. While data on the success of such ad hoc mediations is not available, court statistics show that approximately 46% of cases referred to court-based mediation are successfully resolved when the parties agree to participate. In practice, the mediation is particularly successful when the parties wish to continue co-operating or pursue their activities unburdened by past disputes.

The Supreme Court also oversees projects for the digitalisation of the judiciary. On 30 March 2026, a new milestone in these efforts will take effect, enabling courts to serve legal correspondence electronically in all civil proceedings. At the same time, parties will be given the option to submit their filings electronically in these proceedings.

Collective Actions

The legal landscape continues to be shaped by collective actions in banking, telecommunication and tech sectors. As of 31 December 2025, a total of 24 collective actions had been initiated since 2021 by three consumer organisations. Notably, one of these organisations accounts for 14 of the actions filed to date. Although the overall number of collective actions may appear relatively modest, the figure corresponds to approximately 1.2 actions per 100,000 inhabitants.

At present, these proceedings remain at an early stage. Only five collective actions have progressed through first-instance proceedings. Appeals have been filed in those cases, and the resulting appellate decisions are expected to shape the emerging jurisprudence on the key criteria governing the admissibility of collective actions.

Recently, there has also been a noticeable increase in collaboration and co-ordination among consumer organisations acting as plaintiffs and representing class members. In particular, the three consumer organisations responsible for initiating nearly all collective actions to date have begun to form closer partnerships. These developments are already visible in their joint consumer outreach initiatives and their increasingly co-ordinated approach to ongoing collective proceedings.

Industry-Specific Disputes

There has also been a growing number of disputes related to IT projects, where significant deficiencies are becoming apparent in the management of development processes and in the involvement of the client during software development. Due to the limited availability of specialised expertise and qualified experts at the local level, these disputes can become very lengthy. In addition, a considerable number of disputes continue to concern the identity of industrial products, where the selection of experts with the appropriate technical knowledge is often a decisive factor in resolving the dispute. An increasing number of complex administrative disputes arising from regulatory matters are extending the duration of proceedings before the Administrative Court. At the same time, intensified investment in the construction and infrastructure sectors has led to a rise in large-scale construction disputes, as well as disputes related to public procurement.

Judicial backlogs are also generating additional disputes. Claims for damages are increasingly being filed in connection with decisions issued by regulatory authorities in order to safeguard limitation periods, as the Administrative Court often requires longer to rule on complex regulatory matters. In some cases, the length of these proceedings may exceed the applicable statute of limitations. New disputes in the administrative field are also arising as a result of disputable practice of the tax authorities regarding the capital increase from company funds, an issue in relation to which the Administrative Court has initiated model proceedings.

There was also a significant increase in the number of pending insolvency proceedings in 2025, which grew by approximately 45%. This indicates a rising incidence of insolvency, which may also indicate the need to focus on dispute prevention and resolution strategies.

Key Trends

Slovenia faces rising court backlogs. Sector-specific disputes – especially IT projects, product conformity, tax practices, and insolvencies – are increasing and often complex. Proceedings can last years, encouraging arbitration and mediation. Digitalisation aims to improve efficiency.