Public Policy

2024 in Review, ACICA, Arbitration Agreement, Australia, Australian Arbitration Week, Energy, Immunity, Investment Arbitration, Legislative amendment, Liability, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Party autonomy, PCA, Public Policy, Standard of Proof

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Continuing with the trend of previous years, 2024 saw continued development throughout the region. In Australia, we saw an influx of meaningful, pro-arbitration court decisions, in the Pacific Islands, we saw the strengthening of legal frameworks, and in New Zealand, we saw a clarification of public policy considerations. We delve into these standout developments and…

Annulment, Chile, Ecuador, Latin America, Public Policy

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On October 18, 2024, the Santiago Court of Appeals rejected a petition seeking the annulment of an international arbitration award, once again providing strong arguments in favor of the validity of international commercial awards (Case No. 12506-2022). In the twenty years since the enactment of the International Commercial Arbitration Law (ICAL) No. 19971, no international…

Independence and Impartiality, Nationality, Public Policy, Recognition and enforcement of arbitral award, Russia, Sanctions

(Kluwer Law International) and (KIAP)/ /1 Comment

On 26 July 2024, the Russian Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling (the “Ruling”) outlining a novel stance on the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards. This jurisprudential shift, which is decidedly not pro-arbitration, erects new barriers for persons domiciled in countries deemed “hostile” or “unfriendly” by Russia to obtain their consideration in the…

Annulment, Enforcement, Investor-State arbitration, Public Policy, Swiss Private International Law Act, Switzerland

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On 26 April 2024, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court (“SFSC”) rendered decision 4A_486/2023, upholding the unpublished Final Award in Clorox Spain S.L. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (“Clorox v. Venezuela”) (PCA Case No. 2015-30). In the underlying investment treaty arbitration, Clorox sought compensation for the alleged expropriation and unfair treatment of its investment by Venezuela,…

Annulment, Competition Law, Public Policy

, (WilmerHale)/ /1 Comment

On January 23, 2024, the Paris Court of Appeal (“CoA”) dismissed an action for annulment of an arbitral award on public policy grounds, namely a violation of EU competition law.  The ruling casts further light on the standard of judicial review applicable to annulment proceedings in France.  In particular, it is instructive with regard to…

Belgium, BIT, Court of Appeal, Enforcement, Final Award, Poland, Public Policy, Set aside an arbitral award

(Crowell & Moring) and (A&O Shearman)/ /Leave a comment

The Brussels first instance court attracted significant attention in 2022 by deciding to set aside an UNCITRAL award regarding a claim brought against the Republic of Poland under the US-Poland bilateral investment treaty (“US-Poland BIT”).  This was the first time we had seen a Belgian court set aside an investment treaty award.  The first instance…

CJEU, Corruption, Enforcement, Immunity, Intra-EU ISDS, Investment Arbitration, Paris Arbitration Week, Public Policy

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As part of 2024 Paris Arbitration Week, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP hosted a webinar on “Swords and Shields: Navigating Current Trends in Enforcing Arbitral Awards.” The event featured Sebastiano Nessi, Loujaine Kahaleh, and Juan Perla, and was moderated by Geoffroy Lyonnet. The panel examined recent trends in the enforcement of arbitral awards, starting…

Annulment, Public Policy, Spain

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Herbert Smith Freehills

Spanish regional High Courts of Justice (Tribunales Superiores de Justicia) have heard applications to annul awards since the 2011 amendment to the Spanish Arbitration Law (“SAL”). The most active among the seventeen regional courts has been the High Court of Justice of Madrid (“TSJM”), in charge of hearing annulment proceedings of Madrid-seated arbitral awards. According…

Chile, Enforcement, Fair hearing, Latin America, Public Policy

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A recent ruling by the Chilean Supreme Court has clarified the extent of control that Chilean tribunals can exert when reviewing the procedural rules applied in arbitration awards seeking recognition in Chile (see Case N° 133.313-2022, dated 27 July 2023). Consistent with previous cases, the Court upheld a broad scope of freedom for parties to…

Arbitrability, Philippines, Public Policy

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The Philippine Supreme Court recently issued a decision in Maynilad Water Services, Inc., v. National Water and Resources Board, et al., where the Court ruled that (1) disputes concerning changes in water rates charged to consumers are arbitrable and that (2) arbitral awards that would be injurious to the public at large cannot be enforced…

Annulment, Arbitral seat, Due process, Party Representation, Powers of the tribunal, Public Policy, Seat of the arbitration, Set aside an arbitral award, Set aside an international arbitral award, VIAC, Vietnam

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Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC Vietnam)

Under the Law on Commercial Arbitration 2010 (“LCA”), both domestic and international arbitral awards can be set aside on the basis that the arbitral award contravenes the “fundamental principles of Vietnamese law.” This concept, however, is undefined and broad, causing much uncertainty, especially in light of decisions of the Vietnamese courts. In 2020, the People’s…

BVI, Compound Interest, Enforcement, Illegality, Public Policy

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As most other arbitration laws, section 86(3)(b) of the British Virgin Islands (“BVI”) Arbitration Act 2013 provides that enforcement of arbitration awards may be refused where “it would be contrary to public policy to enforce the award.” This provision mirrors Article V(2)(b) of the New York Convention 1958 and section 103(3) of the English Arbitration…

Arbitrability, Arbitral Award, Colombia, Enforcement, Latin America, Public Policy

(Independent Practitioner based in Bogota, Colombia)/ /Leave a comment

This post addresses the recognition and enforcement of foreign awards in Colombia and summarizes two important cases decided in 2022 by the Civil Chamber of the Colombian Supreme Court of Justice (“Court”) on the matter. These cases illustrate the process of analysis undertaken by the Court to decide requests for recognition and enforcement of foreign…

Bolivia, New York Convention, New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, Public Policy, United States Courts

, , (Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP)/ /Leave a comment

In an important decision upholding the finality of awards and party autonomy in international commercial arbitration, a divided three-member panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit recently held in Compañía de Inversiones Mercantiles SA v. Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua SAB de CV (58 F.4th 429 (10th Cir. 2023)) that recognition of…

COVID-19, Delhi Arbitration Week, India, Public Policy

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The first-ever Delhi Arbitration Weekend (DAW) was held between February 16-19, 2023 and attracted a sizable number of participants including delegates from 14 countries. The DAW, which was conceptualized by the Delhi High Court and the Delhi International Arbitration Centre, also attracted the participation of senior members of the judiciary and government alike, including the…

COVID-19, Interim Award, Interim measures, New York Arbitration Week, Public Policy

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One of the highlights of New York Arbitration Week 2022 was “Choosing Wisely: The Challenge of Interim Measures in International Arbitration”—a panel jointly hosted by New York International Arbitration Center (NYIAC) and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, New York (CIArb-NY) on November 16, 2022.  Departing from the traditional format, the session featured two mock interim…

Public Policy, Recognition and enforcement of arbitral award, Set aside an arbitral award

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One of the articles authored by Dr Monique Sasson and featured in the Journal of International Arbitration Special Issue on Empirical Work in Commercial Arbitration, edited by Dr Monique Sasson, Dr Crina Baltag, Roger P. Alford, Matthew E.K. Hall, under the general editorship of Prof. Dr Maxi Scherer, discussed the public policy in the light…

Arbitration Agreement, empirical data, Empirical Research, Enforcement of an arbitration clause, International Commercial Arbitration, International Law Talk, Kluwer Podcast, Public Policy, Set aside an arbitral award

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International Law Talk is a series of podcasts through which Wolters Kluwer provides the latest news and industry insights from thought leaders and experts in the fields of International Arbitration, IP Law, International Tax Law and Competition Law.  Here at Kluwer Arbitration Blog, we highlight the podcasts focused on international arbitration.   In this latest episode, Prof….

Enforcement, Korea, New York Convention, Public Policy

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Under Article V(2)(b) of the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (1958) (the New York Convention, “NYC”), a court may refuse to recognize or enforce a foreign award if “recognition or enforcement of the award is contrary to the public policy of that country.” The NYC does not define the term…

Estonia, Public Policy

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The 168 parties to the New York Convention, including Estonia, have made a promise to recognize and enforce foreign arbitral awards. One of the few grounds – and probably the most discussed one – to refuse the recognition and enforcement is, under Article V(2)(b) of the New York Convention, the contradiction to the public policy…

Belarus, Public Policy, Recognition and enforcement of arbitral award

(Bureau 24 Law Group)/ /2 Comments

This blog post examines the approaches of Belarusian law and judicial practice to the application of public policy rules. Considering specific cases, the author makes suggestions for mitigating the risks to challenge of arbitral awards on the grounds of non-compliance with Belarusian public policy.   Supreme Court Resolution on Public Policy Under Belarusian law, Belarusian…

Foreign seat, India, Interim measures, New York Convention, Party autonomy, Public Policy

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In a landmark ruling in PASL Wind Solutions Private Limited v. GE Power Conversion,1)Special Leave Petition (Civil) 3936 of 2021 (arising out of GHC judgment dated November 11, 2020), Supreme Court of India Judgment dated April 20, 2021. India’s Supreme Court rejected the argument that the designation of a foreign seat between two Indian parties…

Interim measures, Public Policy, Sanctions, Ukraine

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There is still a common misconception among foreign arbitration practitioners that in post-soviet countries the courts often tend to refuse recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards based on public policy. Is this characterisation fair with respect to Ukraine? There have been five recent cases in Ukraine on violation of public policy, with some landmark decisions…

COVID-19, Enforcement, Investment Arbitration, New York Convention, New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, Public Policy

(Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP/ Katholieke Universiteit Leuven)/ /Leave a comment
Young ICCA

Exceptional times call for exceptional measures. We have all been experiencing a global pandemic for almost a year now. In an era where the legal exception tends to become the mainstream rule, one is left to wonder how far can this reversal of odds go. Is the global public health crisis susceptible to calling into…