Turkey - National Report - World Arbitration Reporter (WAR) - 2nd Edition
Dr. Ali Yeşilırmak is a member of the faculty in Kadir Has University Law Faculty in İstanbul.
Originally from World Arbitration Reporter (WAR) - 2nd Edition
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I. INTRODUCTION: ARBITRATION IN TÜRKİYE–HISTORY AND INFRASTRUCTURE
A. History and Current Legislation on Arbitration
1. Codification history and evolution of arbitration
Arbitration has a long history in Turkish society. The first law on arbitration dates back to 1856 during the Ottoman Empire. Since then, various laws supporting arbitration have been introduced. (For details see A. Yeşilirmak/Ö. F. Kafali/H. Y. Kol, “Development and Evolution of Arbitration in Türkiye”, The Development and Evolution of Our Civil Procedure and Enforcement-Insolvency Law in the 100th Anniversary of the Turkish Republic, (İstanbul 2024), p. 885–910).
Nowadays, there are two main legislations in Türkiye which regulate arbitration. Both legislations are mainly based on the UNCITRAL Model Law. International arbitration is regulated in the International Arbitration Law No. 4686 of 21 June 2001, published in Official Gazette No. 24453 of 5 July 2001. (“IAL”). National arbitration is regulated in the Code of Civil Procedure No. 6100 of 12 January 2011, published in Official Gazette No. 27836 of 4 February 2011. (“CCP”). In addition, the Turkish International Private and Procedural Law No. 5718 of 27 November 2007, published in Official Gazette No. 26728 of 12 December 2007 (“IPPL”) includes arbitration provisions about the recognition and enforcement of awards. IPPL applies where the NYC is not applicable or silent.
2. Current law
Voluntary arbitration is mainly regulated by the CCP and the IAL.
I. INTRODUCTION: ARBITRATION IN TURKEY– HISTORY AND INFRASTRUCTURE
A. History and Current Legislation on Arbitration
1. Historical evolution of law relating to arbitration
2. Current law
a) Domestic arbitration law
b) International arbitration law
3. Law reform projects
4. Confidentiality and publication of awards
a) Privacy of proceedings
b) Publication of awards
B. Arbitration Infrastructure and Practice in Turkey
1. Major arbitration institutions
2. Number of cases and other statistics
3. Development of arbitration compared with litigation
II. CURRENT LAW AND PRACTICE
A. Arbitration Agreement
1. Types and validity of agreement
a) Clauses and submission agreements
b) Minimum essential content
c) Form requirements
d) Incorporation by reference
e) Interpretation
2. Enforcing arbitration agreements
a) Declaratory actions in court
b) Applications to compel or stay arbitration
c) Anti-suit and other injunctions
3. Effects on third parties
a) Extension of the agreement over third parties
b) Other effects
4. Termination and breach
B. Doctrine of Separability
C. Jurisdiction
1. Which forum decides jurisdiction
2. Prima facie determination
3. Competence-Competence
4. Interaction of national courts and tribunals
D. Arbitrability
1. Notion and functions of arbitrability
2. Applicable law
3. Subjective arbitrability
a) Natural persons
b) Legal persons
c) States and state entities
4. Objective arbitrability
a) Examples of restrictions to objective arbitrability at law
b) Cases restricting objective arbitrability
E. Arbitral Tribunal
1. Status and qualifications of arbitrators
a) Number of arbitrators
b) Legal status
c) Qualifications and accreditation requirements
d) Arbitrators’ rights and duties
e) Relevant codes of ethics
2. Appointment of arbitrators
a) Methods of appointment
b) Appointing authorities
c) Payment agreements
d) Resignation and its consequences
3. Challenge and removal
a) Grounds for challenge
b) Procedure for challenge
c) Removal procedure
d) Replacement of arbitrators
4. Arbitrator liability and immunity
F. Conducting the Arbitration
1. Law governing procedure
a) Determination of law and rules governing procedure
b) Notion and role of seat of arbitration
c) Methods for selection of seat absent party choice
d) Mandatory rules of procedure
2. Conduct of arbitration
a) Basic procedural principles
b) Party autonomy and arbitrators’ power to determine procedure
c) Style and characteristics of the oral hearing
d) Documents only arbitrations
e) Submissions and notifications
f) Deadlines, and methods for their extension
g) Legal representation
h) Default proceedings
3. Taking of evidence
a) Admissibility
b) Burden of proof
c) Standards of proof
d) Evidentiary means – in general
e) Documentary evidence and privilege
f) Production of documents
g) Witnesses
h) Tribunal-appointed experts
i) Party-appointed experts
4. Interim measures of protection
a) Jurisdiction for granting interim measures
b) Availability of preliminary or ex parte orders
c) Types of measures
d) Form of measures
e) Security for costs
f) Enforcement mechanisms
5. Interaction between national courts and arbitration tribunals
a) Court assistance before the arbitration begins
b) Court assistance during the arbitration
c) Court assistance after the arbitration
d) Case law examples of best and worst practices
6. Multiparty, multi-action and multi-contract arbitration
a) Consolidation of arbitrations
b) Joinder of third parties
c) Parallel and concurrent proceedings
7. Law and rules of law applicable to the merits
a) Determining the applicable law and rules
b) Party autonomy
c) Determination by arbitrators
d) Non-national substantive rules, general principles of law and transnational rules
e) Mandatory rules
8. Costs
a) Arbitration costs
b) Legal costs
c) Security for costs
G. Arbitration Award
1. Types of awards
a) Partial awards
b) Final awards
c) Interim awards
d) Consent awards
e) Default awards
f) Awards and other decisions of the tribunal
2. Form requirements
a) Essential content
b) Reasons
c) Time limits for making award
d) Notification to parties and registration
3. Remedies
a) Damages
b) Specific performance
c) Other typical remedies
d) Interest
4. Decision making
a) Deliberations
b) Majority or Consensus?
c) Dissenting and concurring opinions
d) Signature
5. Settlement
a) Settlement recorded in an award
b) Settlement without an award
c) Use of settlement techniques by arbitrators
6. Effects of award
a) Effects between parties
b) Effects against third parties
c) Res judicata
7. Correction, supplementation, and amendment
a) Correcting the award
b) Additional award
c) Interpretation of award
H. Challenge and Other Actions against the Award
1. Setting aside
a) Grounds
b) Time limits
c) Procedure
d) Limiting judicial review of awards by contract
e) Effects of successful challenge
2. Appeal on the merits
a) Is it allowed?
b) Grounds
c) Excluding the right to appeal by agreement
III. RECOGNITION AND ENFORCEMENT OF AWARDS
A. Domestic Awards
1. Statutory or other regime
a) Distinction between recognition and enforcement
b) Grounds for refusing recognition and enforcement
c) Formal requirement for enforcement of awards
d) Enforcement procedure
e) Execution
2. Practice
a) Grounds for refusing recognition and enforcement
b) Enforcement procedure
c) Execution
B. Foreign Awards
1. Various regulatory regimes
a) Domestic rules
b) New York Convention
c) Other international conventions
d) Court practice applying regimes other than the New York Convention
2. Distinction between recognition and enforcement
3. Application of New York Convention by local courts
a) Grounds for refusing recognition and enforcement
b) Enforcement procedure
c) Public policy as a ground to refuse enforcement
d) Examples from practice
IV. APPENDICES AND RELEVANT INSTRUMENTS
A. National Legislation (See CD ROM)
B. Major Arbitration Institutions
C. Cases
D. Bibliography