Senators on Tuesday backed plans to establish an international commercial court in the Netherlands, which will specialize in complex international trade disputes.

The new tribunal is being set up because of demand for a specialised, English language tribunal, legal experts say.

The Netherlands Commercial Court will have two chambers, one based at Amsterdam district court and one at the court of appeal on the IJ waterfront.

Justice minister Sander Dekker told senators during their debate on the plans last week that companies which currently take legal action in English only have the choice of arbitration or to go to London. ‘Both options are somewhat expensive,’ he said.