On July 2, 1986, the Dutch Parliament adopted a statute modernizing Dutch law on arbitration. Although it does not technically distinguish between domestic and international arbitration, this statute, following the trend initiated by the United Kingdom [1979 Arbitration Act, 18 I.L.M. 1249 (1979)], France [Decree of May 12, 1981, 20 I.L.M. 917 (1981)], and Belgium [March 27, 1985 Statute, 25 I.L.M. 725 (1986)], clearly purports to liberalize Dutch law on international arbitration. The travaux preparatoires states that it does not substantially depart from the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration [24 I.L.M. 1302 (1985)]. The statute came into force on December 1, 1986, and applies to pending arbitration cases.