On April 17th, the German Federal Ministry of Justice proposed a bill to facilitate the enforcement of claims for the return of cultural property unjustly seized during the Nazi era. New provisions include information requests and rules regarding statutes of limitations. ©Rui Alves/Unsplah The proposed legislation seeks to streamline the process for reclaiming Nazi-confiscated cultural […]
Autor: Anna Kopylova
Nearly 80 years after the end of National Germany to replace Nazi-loot advisory panel with binding arbitration
The Advisory Commission, formerly known as the Limbach Commission, dealing with the return of Nazi-looted art from Jewish owners, has been facing criticism for its inefficiency. Now, nearly 80 years after the end of National Socialism in Germany the federal government, states and local authorities agreed shaking things up by replacing it with an arbitration […]
The ongoing legal saga: Court bans Finland’s Wartsila from suing a Russian plant abroad
A court in St. Petersburg has forbidden the Finnish company, Wartsila, from pursuing or continuing arbitration proceedings abroad against a Russian plant. This decision follows the court’s earlier rejection of Baltic Plant’s €7.6 million claim against Wartsila for non-compliance with six independent guarantees. Background facts The guarantees were related to a contract with the Russian […]
Frankfurt am Main: Delay of the arbitral award does not lead to annulment
Does the arbitral tribunal have endless time to render its final award? Or might the losing party have a ground to challenge an award because the tribunal needs too much time for it? The Higher Regional Court (OLG) Frankfurt am Main had to decide whether a delay of almost one year constituted grounds for setting aside […]
Decisions about the validity of arbitration clauses at the seat of arbitration are binding in proceedings about the enforcement of an award
Decisions rendered in state court proceedings at the place of arbitration about the scope of the arbitration clause are binding for the German exequatur court and exclude a reconsideration of these issues or a successful invocation of the same defence in the German enforcement proceedings. This applies in particular to the defence of the lack […]
Enforcement of ICC award against Transnistria in Russia
An outstanding ruling of the Moscow Arbitrazh Court of 13 September 2021 in case № A40-128695/2021 denies recognition and enforcement of an ICC award to a creditor against the Republic of Transnistria, making a controversial statement: Money in a bank account represent clients‘ contractual rights against a credit institution and is not a tangible object […]
Can a court base its decision on a hearing/interrogation of the party alone?
A german court does not have to gather additional evidence offered on a disputed fact if it can base its conviction within the meaning of section 286(1) of the Code of Civil Procedure (ZPO) on other circumstances, such as the content of a party hearing alone (BGH, 10.03.2021 – XII ZR 54/20). This applies independently […]