Legal Definitions - special agreement

A special agreement is a type of agreement between two or more countries to submit an existing dispute to the jurisdiction of an arbitrator, an arbitral tribunal, or an international court. This agreement is also known as a compromis proper or ad hoc compromis.

• Two countries have a dispute over a border. They agree to submit the dispute to an ad hoc arbitral tribunal to make a decision. This is an example of an ad hoc compromis.
• Two countries sign a treaty that includes an arbitration clause for any future disputes that may arise between them. This is an example of a general compromis.

These examples illustrate how countries can use special agreements to resolve disputes peacefully and avoid resorting to military action or other forms of conflict.