Arbitration in France – Some New Trends

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Arbitration in France – Some New Trends

Journal Title: ADR. Arbitraż i Mediacja - Year 2015, Vol 1, Issue 29

Abstract

Among the most arbitration-friendly jurisdictions in the world, France is undoubtedly ranked at the top. In fact, Paris is consistently ranked first as the most frequent seat for arbitration, regardless of the subject matter of the dispute. Parties often choose French law to apply to arbitrations arising for example out of infrastructure and construction projects located both in France, but also within French-speaking countries, for instance in francophone African states. This is not surprising as the laws of most of these countries are inspired by if not directly derived from French law and are based on codes, rather than judge-made law. Recent ICC statistics confirm Paris as being one of the most popular choices for arbitration. Among the 759 requests for arbitration filed by the ICC Court in 2012, 100 of them were seated in Paris. The attractiveness of France as a place of arbitration is due to various factors, including its liberal arbitration law, a judicial pro-arbitration tradition, the presence of leading arbitration practitioners and the location of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) headquarters in Paris. France’s growing success is also due to a cutting-edge arbitration law, reformed by French Decree no. 2011-48, enacted on 13 January 2011 and entered into force on 1 May 2011. The new law remains in line with the French arbitration-friendly tradition. It codifies and consolidates many of the most innovative solutions and principles that emerged from three decades of French case law. This is the most important reform since the enactment of two Decrees of 1980 and 1981 which implemented modern-time French arbitration law. The new rules, which have reformed both domestic and international arbitration proceedings, are often regarded by scholars and practitioners as more liberal and efficient. They have recently been qualified by three attributes: clarity, efficiency and rapidity. This is because many of the changing key provisions tend to ensure the quick resolution of disputes and to promote procedural efficiency for the enforcement of international arbitration awards. As the French Decree of 2011 entered into force on 1 May 2011, the vast majority of decisions rendered in France since 2013 apply the new provisions . This is due to the fact that many of the provisions of the Decree apply in cases where the arbitration clause has been agreed after 1 May 2011. Decisions from French courts may therefore deal with both pre-2011 and post-2011 regimes, depending on the date when the arbitration clause was agreed between the original parties. Almost four years on, France has maintained its crucial role in the arbitration world and the reference to French law in major disputes, deriving for example from large infrastructure contracts continues to be one of the safest choices. In this article, I will first address the major changes brought about by the new law (1). I will later examine new trends in French arbitral case law (2).

Authors and Affiliations

Leonardo Carpentieri

Keywords

trends arbitration France

EP ID EP181574
DOI -
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