An investment treaty does not confer jurisdiction over every dispute merely because arbitration is commenced while the treaty is in force. Jurisdiction ratione temporis in investment treaty arbitration determines whether the challenged State conduct and, where the treaty so provides, the dispute itself fall within the treaty’s temporal scope. Temporal issues commonly arise, for instance, […]
Sovereign Immunity from Jurisdiction in International Arbitration
Sovereign immunity is divided into immunity from jurisdiction and immunity from execution.[1] The conditions under which these immunities apply are of particular importance in the field of arbitration. According to the French Supreme Court, sovereignty and independence of States prevent one of them from pursuing another.[4] In other words, national judges must refrain from ruling […]
S SpA v. T GmbH, Oberster Gerichtshof, Case No. 180Cg1/15v, 23 June 2015
This case, resulting from a partial award rendered in a VIAC commercial arbitration, concerns the formal requirements of the validity of an arbitration agreement under Austrian law. The facts are as follows: a German consultant signed a contract for service with S SpA, an Italian company, for the sale of heat exchangers. This contract was […]
The Enforcement of ICSID Awards
The recognition and enforcement of ICSID awards is governed by Articles 53, 54 and 55 of the ICSID Convention. A party who seeks enforcement of an ICSID award may do so in any ICSID Contracting State, under the same conditions, and may simultaneously do so in more than one State.[1] The choice of enforcement forum […]
Kosovo ICSID Arbitration
The youngest European State has been slowly but gradually becoming a Member of various International Organizations, and it now it is facing its first investment treaty arbitration claim.[1] Kosovo has been a member of the IMF and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development since 2009 and became a member of the ICSID by signing the […]