Section 7 Previous procedure

(1) If the other party is a public institution holding cultural property, arbitration proceedings are initiated on the condition that the party entitled to apply for arbitration first refered to the institution holding cultural property and the parties did not achieve a result concerning this application. No result is achieved if, within 20 months of the first time the institution holding cultural property is contacted,

a) the institution has not made a decision concerning the application,

b) the parties have not reached an amicable settlement, or

c) the institution holding cultural property has denied the application.

(2) It is the equivalent of a previous procedure in which no result is achieved as referred to in subsection (1) if the institution holding cultural property

a) does not respond to the application within three months or

b) has apparently not taken or announced any action within six months to examine the application.

(3) No previous procedure is needed if the institution holding cultural property informs the party entitled to apply for arbitration that it chooses to forgo one