Jurisdiction

Corporate Restructuring, ICSID, ICSID contract-based disputes, ICSID Convention, ICSID denunciation, MFN extension, Peru, Sunset clause

(GST LLP) and (B. Cremades & Asociados)/ /Leave a comment

Before winning Peru’s presidential race in June 2021, Peruvian President Pedro Castillo vowed to withdraw Peru from the ICSID Convention and to renegotiate several of the country’s Bilateral Investment Treaties (“BIT’s”). According to the then-presidential candidate’s government plan (chapter XXI), ICSID tribunals are biased and “at the service of the multinational companies” in prejudice of…

Arbitrability, Arbitration, Corporate disputes, Turkey, Turkish Court of Cassation

, (Koç University Law School)/ /Leave a comment

Arbitration of commercial disputes is a common practice in Turkey, especially for those with an international element. The same, however, cannot be said for corporate law disputes, i.e. intra-corporate claims based on or concerning statutory rights, articles of association (“AoA”) or corporate resolutions. This has been the case due to a couple of judgments rendered…

Recognition and enforcement of arbitral award, Statistics, Ukraine

(Integrites), (Avellum), and (AVELLUM)/ /Leave a comment

In 2019 – 2020 a group of Ukrainian arbitration practitioners set out on an ambitious study of Ukrainian court decisions on recognition of arbitral awards. In this blog post, members of the group describe the background and methodology of the study and, most importantly, share its results.   Ukraine as an Arbitration Jurisdiction Ukrainian law…

Additional Facility Rules, ICSID, International Investment Arbitration, Jurisdiction, Most Favoured Nation (MFN)

(Coz & Blavi)/ /Leave a comment

Introduction On November 2021, an Arbitral Tribunal issued the award in an investment arbitration case commenced by three subsidiaries of Kimberly-Clark against Venezuela. The claims where brought under the BITs between Venezuela and the Netherlands (Dutch BIT), Venezuela and Spain (Spanish BIT), and Venezuela and Belgium (Belgium BIT). The award, which is highly case-specific, established…

2021 in Review, Anti-arbitration Injunction, Arbitration Rules, Confidentiality, Investor-State arbitration, Malaysia, Maritime Arbitration, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, Set aside an arbitral award, Singapore, Singapore International Arbitration Centre, Vietnam

(Clifford Chance Asia) and , / /1 Comment

In 2021, Southeast Asia saw institutional progress, arbitration-related court decisions, and investment treaty developments. All in all, it was an eventful and, at times, surprising year for the region in terms of arbitration developments.   Institutional progress Some Southeast Asian arbitral institutions revamped and revised their arbitration rules as part of their strategic institutional development….

Arbitration institution, Arbitration Proceedings, Arbitration Rules, Innovation, Latin America, Paraguay

(FERRERE Abogados)/ /Leave a comment

On November 12, 2021, the new arbitration rules (the “2021 Rules”) of Paraguayan Arbitration and Mediation Center (“CAMP” for its acronym in Spanish) –the main arbitration institution in Paraguay –came into effect. The 2021 Rules include new developments that modernize CAMP’s practice, especially with regards to international arbitration. In other cases, the new provisions reflect…

Arbitration, DIAC, DIFC, Dubai, MENA

(Blanke Arbitration LLC)/ /Leave a comment

The recent adoption of Decree No. 34/2021 (see Dubai Government Decree No. 34 of 2021, which entered into force with effect from 20 September 2021) provides for the consolidation of local arbitration centers into a single institution, the Dubai International Arbitration Centre 2.0 (DIAC 2.0). Some perspectives on Decree No. 34/2021 have already been shared…

2021 in Review, AfCFTA, AfCFTA Investment Protocol, Africa

and (University of Oxford)/ /Leave a comment

2021 was significant for Africa with respect to the African Continental Free Trade Area (‘AfCFTA’) and the Agreement establishing it. The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic generated a global economic crisis at a very critical phase of the AfCFTA and resulted in a delay in its implementation. This post seeks to place into perspective the…

Appeal, Canada, Set aside an arbitral award, UNCITRAL Model Law

(Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP)/ /1 Comment

In the legal world, countless hours are spent choosing, weighing and defining words, expressions and phrases, and linguistic precision is instilled as a virtue from the first day of law school. It is therefore rather concerning when courts use both inaccurate and inapt language to address a specific issue, such as when Canadian courts consider…

2021 in Review, Achmea, ECJ, Energy Charter Treaty, EU Law, Europe, European Union, Micula, Multilateral Investment Court

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Looking back on 2021, one realizes that for those interested in the intersection between EU law and investment arbitration, it was a busy year. As part of our customary “year-in-review” series, this post offers a brief overview of the key investment arbitration-related developments in Europe and their coverage on the Blog. I have grouped these…

Anti-suit injunction, Arbitration Agreement, Russia, Sanctions

(Enyo Law LLP)/ /Leave a comment

As previously reported, in mid-2020, changes were enacted to the Russian Arbitrazh (Commercial) Procedure Code (“APC”) to establish the exclusive jurisdiction of Russian Arbitrazh courts over cases where a Russian party is subject to sanctions or where the dispute has arisen out of sanctions. This triggered concerns that sanctioned Russian parties would be able to…

Enforcement, Independence and Impartiality, Interim measures, Italian law, Italy

(Cleary Gottlieb), (Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP), and (Bocconi University)/ /Leave a comment

As part of the complex set of reforms that Italy presented to the EU institutions to access the Next Generation EU program, the Italian Parliament recently approved Law No. 206/2021 (“Law 206”). Among other things, Law 206: (i) establishes “principles and directions” aimed at enhancing the “efficiency of civil proceedings and amending the rules concerning”…

Arbitration, California, California, UNCITRAL, UNCITRAL Model Law, United States

(Gary Benton Arbitration) and (Musick, Peeler & Garrett LLP)/ /Leave a comment

“If they can’t do it in California, it can’t be done anywhere.”  – Novelist Taylor Caldwell   From its sunlit beaches to its fog-spangled hills, California hosts the world’s fifth largest economy, boasting among its accomplishments Hollywood entertainment, Silicon Valley technology, and Central Valley agricultural produce. In addition to its strong trade ties within the…

2021 in Review, Arbitration Institutions and Rules, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Conflicts of interest, Ecuador, Enforcement, Latin America

(Herbert Smith Freehills)/ /Leave a comment

In 2021, Latin American countries continued to struggle with the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Accordingly, legislative and jurisprudential developments on arbitration-related issues were also affected given that the governments were focused on reactivating local economies, vaccinating their citizens, and launching tax and labor reforms.  In addition, presidential elections also marked political shifts for…

New York Convention, New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, United Arab Emirates

(Al Owais Advocates & Legal Consultants)/ /Leave a comment

The United Arab Emirates (“UAE”) adhered to the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, also known as the New York Convention (“New York Convention”) in 2006. Joining the New York Convention was done through Federal Decree No. 43 of  2006. This post examines how the New York Convention has been implemented…

2021 in Review, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands

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Last year saw positive movements in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands to better promote the use of arbitration in the region. Arbitral institution rules were modernised and domestic legal frameworks were introduced all to stimulate arbitration activity. The year also saw a sharp focus on the benefits of empirical studies to understand how…

BIT, Economic Sanctions, ICSID Arbitration, Investment, Investment Arbitration, Venezuela

, (Zaiwalla & Co)/ /Leave a comment

Bilateral investment treaties depend upon international arbitration as the mechanism to resolve disputes between sovereign states and investors. Although offering obvious advantages over litigation before national courts, investors are not immune from the risk of proceedings becoming destabilized by external factors. A recent example involved Air Canada, the country’s flag carrier, and the Bolivarian Republic…

Arbitrator Bias, Arbitrator Challenges, arbitrators’ conduct, Brazil, Latin America, Transparency

(FGV Law SP - Law School of São Paulo) and (Independent Arbitrator)/ /Leave a comment

The Center for Studies and Research in Arbitration from the University of São Paulo (“CEPArb-USP”) has recently made public the findings of its pioneer empirical research on challenges of arbitrators in domestic proceedings in Brazil. The initiative analyzed data from challenges in proceedings administered by the Câmara de Mediação e Arbitragem Empresarial – Brasil (CAMARB)….

Interim measures, Italy, Reform

(Homburger)/ /Leave a comment

“Pedro, adelante, con juicio“: this Spanish exhortation comes from a famous Italian novel, “I Promessi Sposi” by Alessandro Manzoni. The Spanish governor of Milan gives these ambiguous instructions to his coachman Pedro, who is steering the carriage amidst a rioting mob: “forward, but be careful“. It became proverbial for describing an uneasy balance between action…

Consistency, Exchange rate, Investment Arbitration, Latin America, quantum, Transfer of Funds Clauses

(Baker McKenzie)/ /Leave a comment

Inconsistent decisions have long been a major criticism in investment arbitration. This does not only pertain to decisions on procedure, jurisdiction or merits but also to quantum issues. This contribution will center around one unlikely connection that has the potential to enhance consistency and predictability in an area of quantification of damages in investment arbitration:…

Costs in arbitral proceedings, Ecuador, Investment Arbitration, Latin America, State defense

, (Carmigniani Pérez Abogados)/ /Leave a comment

On November 23, 2021, Ecuador’s Attorney General (“AG”), Iñigo Salvador Crespo announced the creation of a new institutional framework for handling disputes brought against the state and state entities with the vision of preventing and reducing litigation, particularly costly international arbitrations. The Institutional Strengthening of the Attorney General’s Office Project (“PROFIP” for its initials in…

Cybersecurity, Document Production, Evidence, Institutional Rules, TIAC, Uzbekistan

(Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP), , and (Tashkent International Arbitration Centre)/ /Leave a comment

Since its establishment in 2018 by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, the Tashkent International Arbitration Centre (the “TIAC”) has kept abreast the evolution of the global social and economic climate and modern international arbitration practices, and sought to modernize its administration of international arbitrations to meet current and future challenges faced by…

Shanghai, Shanghai International Arbitration Center

(Shanghai International Arbitration Center)/ /Leave a comment
Shanghai International Arbitration Center (SHIAC)

The 2021 Shanghai Arbitration Week (“SHAW”) kicked off on 8 November 2021, accompanying the grand event of the Shanghai International Arbitration Summit. Mr. Xiong Xuanguo, Vice Minister of the Justice Department of the PRC, Mr. Peng Chenlei, Vice Mayor of Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, Ms. Anna Joubin-Bret, Secretary-General of UNCITRAL, and Ms. Lucy Reed, President…

Brazil, foreign direct investment

(Lyon Catholic University) and (Bank of Northeast - Brazilian Regional Development Bank)/ /Leave a comment

Brazil is an interesting actor in the field of investment-related treaties. For example, Brazil has been a major player when it comes to foreign direct investment (“FDI”) outflows. This was not always the case. Brazilian outward foreign direct investment (“OFDI”) was minor throughout the 1990s. However, after economic and institutional reforms, Brazilian companies became increasingly internationalized,…