International Arbitration & Portugal
Internationally Oriented Community
International arbitration in Portugal has taken off in recent years, and as previous posts have discussed, there are a wide variety of compelling reasons why this has been the case. Past posts have touched upon some aspects of how Portugal is internationally oriented in terms of the longstanding cultural and legal ties with Lusophonic countries as well as it being a country where the vast majority of the population speaks a relatively comprehensive level of English.
In Portugal, international standards are applied when dealing with international arbitration cases. International events regularly take place in Portugal and shed new and innovative light on the topic at hand, including the ICC Portugal Arbitration Day, with the second edition having taken place during 2018. ICC Portugal has now existed for 80 years and has had the mission of organizing not only Portugal Arbitration Day but has also taken on the task of putting together several workshops and conferences with the goal of extending a hand to the international arbitration community.
ICC Portugal has members from over 130 different countries, including businesses and associations, making it among the few with such a vast and diverse community. The fact that Portugal partakes in these events show its willingness to open itself up to the world in terms of showcasing the positive qualities as a sound jurisdiction for the resolution of disputes.
Portugal is considered to be among the best jurisdictions, recognized on an international level, when it comes to the ease of resolving disputes. Portugal is 9th in the European Union in regards to the ease of resolving insolvency and considered to be 15th in the world.
Portugal has also been considered appealing to the international community due to the pro-arbitration mindset of the Portuguese Courts. The courts act with swift procedures to assist arbitrations. Another advantage within this realm are dedicated
Portuguese practitioners also regularly publish articles in English, in order to reach a wider audience. The Portuguese arbitration community is in permanent contact with other communities including the Brazilian, Spanish and French colleagues.
