Arbitration Law and Practice in Central and Eastern Europe - Second Edition
Arbitration Law and Practice in Central and Eastern Europe addresses arbitration practices and the involvement of state authority on arbitrations in this region, where case law is generally sparse, legal reforms recent, and where, as a consequence, the legal writing is limited and does not cover the entire array of questions that may arise. Key aspects of arbitration are investigated from both the arbitrator's and counsel's perspectives and important tactical issues are discussed by prominent attorneys and arbitrators. Its well-designed and comprehensive questionnaire format allows easy location of information, but also provides in-depth coverage of the eight jurisdictions covered. Developed by highly respected editors who themselves have established reputations for excellence in arbitration and a practitioner's eye for the information that is needed most, the book is a valuable reference and guide for all seeking to obtain a quick but extensive overview on arbitration practices in this part of the world.
Preface
Editors and Contributors
Country Report Questionnaire
Austria
Christoph Liebscher
Bulgaria
Silvy Vasilev Chernev
Croatia
Alan Uzelac
Tomislav Nagy
Hungary
István Varga
Romania
Liliana Toader Deaconescu
Luminita Olteanu
Ligia Cecilia Popescu
Andreea Zvâc
Latvia
Ziedonis Ūdris
Russian Federation
Julia Zagonek
Pavlov Boulatov
Daria Scheglova
Gordon Blanke
Slovak Republic
Pavol Biksadsky
Editors
Christoph Liebscher (Austria) is founder of Liebscher Dispute Management. He obtained an MBA at INSEAD (Fontainebleau), and worked in management positions in Germany, France, the former Czechoslovakia, Poland, and other European countries before returning to the legal profession. He was and is involved in arbitrations as counsel and as arbitrator in many jurisdictions including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, the Slovak Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Uzbekistan. He has more than thirty-five years of experience in domestic and international commercial arbitration and litigation in English, German and French. He has published numerous books and articles on arbitration and business law. He is a member of the ICC Commission on International Arbitration and the LCIA and was a member of the Expert Group for the Reform of the Austrian Arbitration Law and the ICC International Court of Arbitration from 2003 to 2009. Dr. Liebscher is listed as an arbitrator with International Arbitral Centers of several Economic Chambers in Central and Eastern Europe and Asia. liebscher@disputemanagement.at
Alice A. Fremuth-Wolf, is Secretary General of the Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC). She was VIAC Deputy Secretary General from 2012 to 2018. She studied law at the Vienna University (Dr. iur.) and at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LL.M.). She served as an assistant at the Institute of Civil Procedural Law at the University of Vienna, and as an associate with Wolf Theiss (Vienna) and Baker & McKenzie (Vienna). Ms. Fremuth-Wolf is experienced as an arbitrator and party-representative in international commercial arbitration proceedings in English and German and is also a qualified mediator. She has authored various articles and books on arbitration and lectures a course at Vienna University on international arbitration. From 2004 to 2009 she coached the team of Vienna University for the annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot competition.
Contributors
Pavol Biksadsky, (Slovak Republic) is a Managing Partner of the Bratislava-based law office Biksadský & Partners LLC. He graduated from the Commenius University Law School in Bratislava and received a postgraduate degree from University of Trnava Law School. He entered the Bar in 2006. His main practice areas are corporate law, law of contracts, privacy and personal data protection, and arbitration. He has reached a certificate level in management accounting with CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, London UK). He works with a variety of international clientele, with a special focus on English- and Italian-speaking clients. www.biksadsky-partners.com
Gordon Blanke, (Russian Federation) is founding Partner of Blanke Arbitration, LLC, Dublin/London/Paris. He has wide-ranging experience in all types of international commercial and investment arbitration in both the common and civil law legal systems, having acted as advising counsel and arbitrator under most leading institutional arbitration rules (ICC, LCIA, LMAA, DIFC-LCIA, DIAC, ADCCAC, GAFTA, GCC, JAMS, SCC, etc.) and in ad hoc arbitrations seated in the US, Europe and the Middle East held for a variety of industry sectors, including construction/real estate, corporate, IT, oil & gas, banking & finance, maritime etc. Dr. Blanke graduated in law from the London School of Economics and Political Science and holds an LL.M in European Litigation from the University of Luxembourg and the University Robert Schuman, Strasbourg. He also holds an MPhil in Advanced International Studies from the Diplomatic Academy Vienna, Austria, and attended the ENA, France, as an élève étranger. He was awarded a doctorate by the Law Faculty of the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. Dr. Blanke speaks regularly on international arbitration and has published over 200 books and articles on international arbitration.
Pavel Boulatov, (Russian Federation) is Counsel, specialising in dispute resolution in the Moscow office of White & Case. He focuses on international arbitration, litigation, bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings. He represents Russian and foreign companies in proceedings before Russian commercial courts in various regions and at all levels, in a wide range of construction, finance, corporate and other business-related matters. He frequently acts in multijurisdictional disputes, has experience in international commercial and investor-state arbitrations and is on the list of International Arbitrators of the HKIAC. He regularly advises on conflicts of laws, as well as jurisdictional and enforcement issues. Mr. Boulatov also has significant expertise in Russian bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings and represented creditors, debtors and administrators in large bankruptcy cases. He was listed in the Seventh Edition of Best Lawyers in Russia in the practice area of Litigation. pboulatov@whitecase.com
Sofia (Purcaru) Cozac (Bucharest, Romania) is an arbitrator and attorney at law, acting as the President of the Dolj Court of Arbitration, which is a local court of arbitration in Romania. As an arbitrator, Ms. Cozac has acted as chairman in debt recovery arbitration cases. As an attorney at law, Ms. Cozac has successfully advised investors, as well as the Romanian state, in complex ICSID cases, being part of the international teams representing such parties. Ms. Sofia Cozac has also advised multinationals and investment funds in complex litigation and arbitration cases in areas such as: fiscal matters, construction and design, cross-border insolvency and public procurement, insurance, debt recovery. Ms. Cozac has relevant experience in both domestic and international arbitration, in particular FIDIC and ICSID arbitration.
Tomislav Nagy, (Croatia) is a Partner of Law Office Nagy in Zagreb. He acts in international and domestic arbitrations, mainly in the areas of commerce and domain name. He is currently an assistant lecturer at the International Arbitration LLM Course at King’s College in London. In the past he worked for Essex Court Chambers in London as an administrative secretary on a great number of major international arbitration cases. He has been appointed as an arbitrator for the Permanent Arbitration Court of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce. He has published a number of articles mainly dealing with arbitration and foreign investments.
Luminita Olteanu, (Romania) is a Romanian lawyer currently undertaking an LLM, following a scholarship received from the University of Kent in 2016. She has been a member of the Bucharest Bar Association since January 2011 and in April 2013 became a qualified lawyer following her graduation from the National Institute for Preparation and Specialization of Lawyers. Ms. Olteanu is a Student Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and specializes in commercial arbitration and intellectual property law.
Ligia Cecilia Popescu, (Romania) is a Partner in the Bucharest office of Wolf Theiss and Coordinator of its Dispute Resolution Practice Group. Ms. Popescu started her career as a diplomat in the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs specializing in economic diplomacy at the Institut International d'administration publique (IIAP)/École Nationale d'administration (ENA), Paris, France. Since 1994 she has been a member of the Bucharest Bar and has gained substantial experience as a private practice lawyer in Bucharest and the City of London. Ms. Popescu is a graduate of Bucharest University and holds a post graduate degree (LL.M) in Business Law and European Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She has successfully advised multinationals and investment funds in complex litigation and arbitration in a variety of industries including but not limited to: construction and design, retail, automotive, aviation, foodstuff, financial services. Ms. Popescu is fluent in French and English, is a frequent speaker at international conferences on arbitration, litigation, competition, and public procurement. ligia.popescu@wolftheiss.com
Daria Scheglova, (Russian Federation) is an associate at White & Case. She graduated from Kutafin Moscow State Law University. Ms. Scheglova deals with both litigation before Russian state courts and international arbitration. She represents clients in complicated insolvency proceedings. She also advises on conflicts of laws, public international law, provisional measures, and jurisdictional and enforcement issues. In 2011 Ms. Scheglova was on secondment to the LCIA, where, in her capacity as Counsel, she handled a wide spectrum of issues at all stages of arbitration proceedings, including appointment of Arbitral Tribunals. She often contributes to various legal publications. daria.scheglova@whitecase.com
Liliana Toader Deaconescu, (Romania) is an attorney at law with Leaua & Asociatii law firm and part of the international arbitration team of Leaua & Asociatii. Mrs. Deaconescu has advised multinationals and investment funds in complex litigation and arbitration cases in areas such as: construction and design, fiscal matters, cross-border insolvency and public procurement, insurance, employment, IP, debt recovery. Mrs. Liliana Deaconescu has relevant experience in domestic and international arbitration, in particular ICSID arbitration.
István Varga, (Hungary) is Head of the Department of Civil Procedure at ELTE Faculty of Law Budapest. He teaches Hungarian, international and comparative civil procedure and arbitration at ELTE Budapest, and regularly lectures as Visiting Professor on the same subjects at various foreign universities including Leipzig, Beijing and Kyoto. His most important academic distinctions and positions include being Director of Studies at The Hague Academy of International Law, Member and Scientific Secretary of the Main Codification Committee of the New Hungarian Code of Civil Procedure, Member of the Legal Practice Advisory Group of the Hungarian Supreme Court. As a practicing lawyer and Co-Managing Partner of the Budapest-based international law firm KNPLAW Nagy Koppany Varga and Partners he specializes in litigation and arbitration. His comparative monograph “Taking of Evidence in Transatlantic Arbitral Proceedings,” published in Germany was awarded the First Prize (“DIS-Förderpreis”) of the German Institution of Arbitration. He regularly acts as arbitrator, counsel and as expert witness in institutional arbitrations at ICSID, ICC, DIS, VIAC and the Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Prof. Varga is a member of the ICSID panel of arbitrators. ivarga@knplaw.com
Silvy Vasilev Chernev, (Bulgaria) is an arbitrator with the Court of Arbitration at the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (since 1994), President (2000-2014). Currently he is Honorary President of the Institution. Prof. Dr. Chernev is an attorney-at-law, admitted to the Sofia Bar Association in 1992, and a regular professor in civil procedure and ADR at different universities since 1993. He was a legal adviser to the Minister of Chemical Industry; assistant professor in civil procedure, Sofia University, Law Faculty, for eight years; research fellow in civil procedure at the Law Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences for four years; senior legal advisor to the Legislative Committee at the Grand National Assembly of Bulgaria; visiting research professor at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, USA; and guest professor at several other American universities. Prof. Chernev was a nominee for judgeship at the European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg; he has participated in evaluation teams in programs dedicated to the evaluation of USAID Rule of Law programs in different countries. He has participated in numerous law drafting groups and consultations in the law-making process in Bulgaria, and is the author of numerous publications in Bulgarian, Russian and English on court law and civil procedure and legal reform theory. He has been a participant in UNCITRAL working groups on arbitration and mediation; electronic transferrable instruments and electronic arbitration. He is included in the lists of a number of Arbitration institutions and has participated in hundreds of international and domestic arbitrations. sil.v.ch@gmail.com
Ziedonis Ūdris, (Latvia) is Member of the Council of Arbitration of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a Managing Partner of the Law Office Skudra & Udris. He is a leading and reputable practitioner in the field of commercial litigation and arbitration with particular strength in international dispute resolution and the application of international private law. His areas of core specialization include administrative and regulatory law, international trade regulation, insolvency and bankruptcy law, maritime law, labor law and real estate. He handles complex and challenging assignments, including high profile litigation cases in Latvia and international arbitration proceedings. Mr. Udris has advised the Government of Latvia in matters related to international litigation and arbitration and was appointed by the Government of Latvia as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in Hague. He has contributed to the development of legislation regulating commercial arbitration in Latvia. He regularly lectures and publishes on the subject of international dispute resolution, including the subject of enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards in Latvia. Mr. Udris has translated INCOTERMS 1990, INCOTERMS 2000 and INCOTERMS 2010 into Latvian and co-authored the book “The Basic Knowledge in International Trade.”
Alan Uzelac, (Croatia) is Professor of Law at Zagreb University, where he teaches civil procedure, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. His past engagements include serving as Secretary General at the Permanent Arbitration Court of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce in Zagreb (1992 to 2002). He is currently active as an arbitrator in a number of administered and ad hoc arbitrations, primarily international. As an arbitration expert, he was actively involved in the reform of the Croatian law of arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, where he used his experience as a national delegate in the UNCITRAL Working Group on Arbitration and Conciliation. He is the author of a great number of books, papers and national reports on the issues of arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. uzelac@post.harvard.edu
Julia Zagonek, (Russian Federation) is a Partner with White & Case’s International Arbitration Practice in Moscow. She concentrates on international arbitration and commercial litigation, guiding her clients towards the successful resolution of contentious matters. She has worked for a broad spectrum of clients, both for individuals and multi-national corporate entities. She has had experience in investment and commercial arbitrations conducted in accordance with the rules of the LCIA, VIAC, ICC, AAA, SCC, SIAC, UNCITRAL as well as ad hoc arbitrations, and is regularly appointed as arbitrator. Ms. Zagonek is also involved in shaping arbitration law and practice, and is a committee member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Advisory Committee of the Anglo-Russian Law Association (ARLA), and a member of the working group of the ICC Russia. She is frequently asked to speak and lecture on international arbitration and English law at MGUA (Moscow State Law Academy), MGIMO (Moscow State University of International Relations), MGU (Moscow State University, and at client seminars and international conferences.
Andreea Zvâc, (Romania) is a Senior Associate with over 10 years of experience who joined the Dispute Resolution department of Wolf Theiss in 2012. She has successfully advised foreign investors in a wide variety of litigation cases and public procurement matters. Notably, Ms. Zvâc has been involved in a broad range of civil and commercial litigation, construction litigation and IP as well as miscellaneous commercial disputes and enforcement procedures. She has been a member of the Bucharest Bar Association since 2005, holds an LL.M. degree in employment law from the University of Bucharest and is qualified as a public procurement expert. andreea.zvac@wolftheiss.com
"Arbitration in Central and Eastern Europe in a nutshell: This is what this fine work provides for. Based on a sophisticated questionnaire the contributors - leading arbitration experts in their countries - describe the legal framework and the most important features to be observed, from the writing of a contract to the enforcement of an award. Each country chapter is enriched with bibliography and the most relevant court decisions. I highly recommend it to anyone involved in commercial arbitration in this part of Europe."
-Dr. Manfred Heider, former Secretary General at the International Arbitral Centre of the Austrian Economic Chamber in Vienna; Special Counsel, Konrad Partners
Editors
Christoph Liebscher (Austria) is founder of Liebscher Dispute Management. He obtained an MBA at INSEAD (Fontainebleau), and worked in management positions in Germany, France, the former Czechoslovakia, Poland, and other European countries before returning to the legal profession. He was and is involved in arbitrations as counsel and as arbitrator in many jurisdictions including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, the Slovak Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Uzbekistan. He has more than thirty-five years of experience in domestic and international commercial arbitration and litigation in English, German and French. He has published numerous books and articles on arbitration and business law. He is a member of the ICC Commission on International Arbitration and the LCIA and was a member of the Expert Group for the Reform of the Austrian Arbitration Law and the ICC International Court of Arbitration from 2003 to 2009. Dr. Liebscher is listed as an arbitrator with International Arbitral Centers of several Economic Chambers in Central and Eastern Europe and Asia. liebscher@disputemanagement.at
Alice A. Fremuth-Wolf, is Secretary General of the Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC). She was VIAC Deputy Secretary General from 2012 to 2018. She studied law at the Vienna University (Dr. iur.) and at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LL.M.). She served as an assistant at the Institute of Civil Procedural Law at the University of Vienna, and as an associate with Wolf Theiss (Vienna) and Baker & McKenzie (Vienna). Ms. Fremuth-Wolf is experienced as an arbitrator and party-representative in international commercial arbitration proceedings in English and German and is also a qualified mediator. She has authored various articles and books on arbitration and lectures a course at Vienna University on international arbitration. From 2004 to 2009 she coached the team of Vienna University for the annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot competition.
Contributors
Pavol Biksadsky, (Slovak Republic) is a Managing Partner of the Bratislava-based law office Biksadský & Partners LLC. He graduated from the Commenius University Law School in Bratislava and received a postgraduate degree from University of Trnava Law School. He entered the Bar in 2006. His main practice areas are corporate law, law of contracts, privacy and personal data protection, and arbitration. He has reached a certificate level in management accounting with CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, London UK). He works with a variety of international clientele, with a special focus on English- and Italian-speaking clients. www.biksadsky-partners.com
Gordon Blanke, (Russian Federation) is founding Partner of Blanke Arbitration, LLC, Dublin/London/Paris. He has wide-ranging experience in all types of international commercial and investment arbitration in both the common and civil law legal systems, having acted as advising counsel and arbitrator under most leading institutional arbitration rules (ICC, LCIA, LMAA, DIFC-LCIA, DIAC, ADCCAC, GAFTA, GCC, JAMS, SCC, etc.) and in ad hoc arbitrations seated in the US, Europe and the Middle East held for a variety of industry sectors, including construction/real estate, corporate, IT, oil & gas, banking & finance, maritime etc. Dr. Blanke graduated in law from the London School of Economics and Political Science and holds an LL.M in European Litigation from the University of Luxembourg and the University Robert Schuman, Strasbourg. He also holds an MPhil in Advanced International Studies from the Diplomatic Academy Vienna, Austria, and attended the ENA, France, as an élève étranger. He was awarded a doctorate by the Law Faculty of the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. Dr. Blanke speaks regularly on international arbitration and has published over 200 books and articles on international arbitration.
Pavel Boulatov, (Russian Federation) is Counsel, specialising in dispute resolution in the Moscow office of White & Case. He focuses on international arbitration, litigation, bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings. He represents Russian and foreign companies in proceedings before Russian commercial courts in various regions and at all levels, in a wide range of construction, finance, corporate and other business-related matters. He frequently acts in multijurisdictional disputes, has experience in international commercial and investor-state arbitrations and is on the list of International Arbitrators of the HKIAC. He regularly advises on conflicts of laws, as well as jurisdictional and enforcement issues. Mr. Boulatov also has significant expertise in Russian bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings and represented creditors, debtors and administrators in large bankruptcy cases. He was listed in the Seventh Edition of Best Lawyers in Russia in the practice area of Litigation. pboulatov@whitecase.com
Sofia (Purcaru) Cozac (Bucharest, Romania) is an arbitrator and attorney at law, acting as the President of the Dolj Court of Arbitration, which is a local court of arbitration in Romania. As an arbitrator, Ms. Cozac has acted as chairman in debt recovery arbitration cases. As an attorney at law, Ms. Cozac has successfully advised investors, as well as the Romanian state, in complex ICSID cases, being part of the international teams representing such parties. Ms. Sofia Cozac has also advised multinationals and investment funds in complex litigation and arbitration cases in areas such as: fiscal matters, construction and design, cross-border insolvency and public procurement, insurance, debt recovery. Ms. Cozac has relevant experience in both domestic and international arbitration, in particular FIDIC and ICSID arbitration.
Tomislav Nagy, (Croatia) is a Partner of Law Office Nagy in Zagreb. He acts in international and domestic arbitrations, mainly in the areas of commerce and domain name. He is currently an assistant lecturer at the International Arbitration LLM Course at King’s College in London. In the past he worked for Essex Court Chambers in London as an administrative secretary on a great number of major international arbitration cases. He has been appointed as an arbitrator for the Permanent Arbitration Court of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce. He has published a number of articles mainly dealing with arbitration and foreign investments.
Luminita Olteanu, (Romania) is a Romanian lawyer currently undertaking an LLM, following a scholarship received from the University of Kent in 2016. She has been a member of the Bucharest Bar Association since January 2011 and in April 2013 became a qualified lawyer following her graduation from the National Institute for Preparation and Specialization of Lawyers. Ms. Olteanu is a Student Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and specializes in commercial arbitration and intellectual property law.
Ligia Cecilia Popescu, (Romania) is a Partner in the Bucharest office of Wolf Theiss and Coordinator of its Dispute Resolution Practice Group. Ms. Popescu started her career as a diplomat in the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs specializing in economic diplomacy at the Institut International d'administration publique (IIAP)/École Nationale d'administration (ENA), Paris, France. Since 1994 she has been a member of the Bucharest Bar and has gained substantial experience as a private practice lawyer in Bucharest and the City of London. Ms. Popescu is a graduate of Bucharest University and holds a post graduate degree (LL.M) in Business Law and European Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She has successfully advised multinationals and investment funds in complex litigation and arbitration in a variety of industries including but not limited to: construction and design, retail, automotive, aviation, foodstuff, financial services. Ms. Popescu is fluent in French and English, is a frequent speaker at international conferences on arbitration, litigation, competition, and public procurement. ligia.popescu@wolftheiss.com
Daria Scheglova, (Russian Federation) is an associate at White & Case. She graduated from Kutafin Moscow State Law University. Ms. Scheglova deals with both litigation before Russian state courts and international arbitration. She represents clients in complicated insolvency proceedings. She also advises on conflicts of laws, public international law, provisional measures, and jurisdictional and enforcement issues. In 2011 Ms. Scheglova was on secondment to the LCIA, where, in her capacity as Counsel, she handled a wide spectrum of issues at all stages of arbitration proceedings, including appointment of Arbitral Tribunals. She often contributes to various legal publications. daria.scheglova@whitecase.com
Liliana Toader Deaconescu, (Romania) is an attorney at law with Leaua & Asociatii law firm and part of the international arbitration team of Leaua & Asociatii. Mrs. Deaconescu has advised multinationals and investment funds in complex litigation and arbitration cases in areas such as: construction and design, fiscal matters, cross-border insolvency and public procurement, insurance, employment, IP, debt recovery. Mrs. Liliana Deaconescu has relevant experience in domestic and international arbitration, in particular ICSID arbitration.
István Varga, (Hungary) is Head of the Department of Civil Procedure at ELTE Faculty of Law Budapest. He teaches Hungarian, international and comparative civil procedure and arbitration at ELTE Budapest, and regularly lectures as Visiting Professor on the same subjects at various foreign universities including Leipzig, Beijing and Kyoto. His most important academic distinctions and positions include being Director of Studies at The Hague Academy of International Law, Member and Scientific Secretary of the Main Codification Committee of the New Hungarian Code of Civil Procedure, Member of the Legal Practice Advisory Group of the Hungarian Supreme Court. As a practicing lawyer and Co-Managing Partner of the Budapest-based international law firm KNPLAW Nagy Koppany Varga and Partners he specializes in litigation and arbitration. His comparative monograph “Taking of Evidence in Transatlantic Arbitral Proceedings,” published in Germany was awarded the First Prize (“DIS-Förderpreis”) of the German Institution of Arbitration. He regularly acts as arbitrator, counsel and as expert witness in institutional arbitrations at ICSID, ICC, DIS, VIAC and the Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Prof. Varga is a member of the ICSID panel of arbitrators. ivarga@knplaw.com
Silvy Vasilev Chernev, (Bulgaria) is an arbitrator with the Court of Arbitration at the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (since 1994), President (2000-2014). Currently he is Honorary President of the Institution. Prof. Dr. Chernev is an attorney-at-law, admitted to the Sofia Bar Association in 1992, and a regular professor in civil procedure and ADR at different universities since 1993. He was a legal adviser to the Minister of Chemical Industry; assistant professor in civil procedure, Sofia University, Law Faculty, for eight years; research fellow in civil procedure at the Law Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences for four years; senior legal advisor to the Legislative Committee at the Grand National Assembly of Bulgaria; visiting research professor at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, USA; and guest professor at several other American universities. Prof. Chernev was a nominee for judgeship at the European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg; he has participated in evaluation teams in programs dedicated to the evaluation of USAID Rule of Law programs in different countries. He has participated in numerous law drafting groups and consultations in the law-making process in Bulgaria, and is the author of numerous publications in Bulgarian, Russian and English on court law and civil procedure and legal reform theory. He has been a participant in UNCITRAL working groups on arbitration and mediation; electronic transferrable instruments and electronic arbitration. He is included in the lists of a number of Arbitration institutions and has participated in hundreds of international and domestic arbitrations. sil.v.ch@gmail.com
Ziedonis Ūdris, (Latvia) is Member of the Council of Arbitration of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a Managing Partner of the Law Office Skudra & Udris. He is a leading and reputable practitioner in the field of commercial litigation and arbitration with particular strength in international dispute resolution and the application of international private law. His areas of core specialization include administrative and regulatory law, international trade regulation, insolvency and bankruptcy law, maritime law, labor law and real estate. He handles complex and challenging assignments, including high profile litigation cases in Latvia and international arbitration proceedings. Mr. Udris has advised the Government of Latvia in matters related to international litigation and arbitration and was appointed by the Government of Latvia as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in Hague. He has contributed to the development of legislation regulating commercial arbitration in Latvia. He regularly lectures and publishes on the subject of international dispute resolution, including the subject of enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards in Latvia. Mr. Udris has translated INCOTERMS 1990, INCOTERMS 2000 and INCOTERMS 2010 into Latvian and co-authored the book “The Basic Knowledge in International Trade.”
Alan Uzelac, (Croatia) is Professor of Law at Zagreb University, where he teaches civil procedure, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. His past engagements include serving as Secretary General at the Permanent Arbitration Court of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce in Zagreb (1992 to 2002). He is currently active as an arbitrator in a number of administered and ad hoc arbitrations, primarily international. As an arbitration expert, he was actively involved in the reform of the Croatian law of arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, where he used his experience as a national delegate in the UNCITRAL Working Group on Arbitration and Conciliation. He is the author of a great number of books, papers and national reports on the issues of arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. uzelac@post.harvard.edu
Julia Zagonek, (Russian Federation) is a Partner with White & Case’s International Arbitration Practice in Moscow. She concentrates on international arbitration and commercial litigation, guiding her clients towards the successful resolution of contentious matters. She has worked for a broad spectrum of clients, both for individuals and multi-national corporate entities. She has had experience in investment and commercial arbitrations conducted in accordance with the rules of the LCIA, VIAC, ICC, AAA, SCC, SIAC, UNCITRAL as well as ad hoc arbitrations, and is regularly appointed as arbitrator. Ms. Zagonek is also involved in shaping arbitration law and practice, and is a committee member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Advisory Committee of the Anglo-Russian Law Association (ARLA), and a member of the working group of the ICC Russia. She is frequently asked to speak and lecture on international arbitration and English law at MGUA (Moscow State Law Academy), MGIMO (Moscow State University of International Relations), MGU (Moscow State University, and at client seminars and international conferences.
Andreea Zvâc, (Romania) is a Senior Associate with over 10 years of experience who joined the Dispute Resolution department of Wolf Theiss in 2012. She has successfully advised foreign investors in a wide variety of litigation cases and public procurement matters. Notably, Ms. Zvâc has been involved in a broad range of civil and commercial litigation, construction litigation and IP as well as miscellaneous commercial disputes and enforcement procedures. She has been a member of the Bucharest Bar Association since 2005, holds an LL.M. degree in employment law from the University of Bucharest and is qualified as a public procurement expert. andreea.zvac@wolftheiss.com
"Arbitration in Central and Eastern Europe in a nutshell: This is what this fine work provides for. Based on a sophisticated questionnaire the contributors - leading arbitration experts in their countries - describe the legal framework and the most important features to be observed, from the writing of a contract to the enforcement of an award. Each country chapter is enriched with bibliography and the most relevant court decisions. I highly recommend it to anyone involved in commercial arbitration in this part of Europe."
-Dr. Manfred Heider, former Secretary General at the International Arbitral Centre of the Austrian Economic Chamber in Vienna; Special Counsel, Konrad Partners
Preface
Editors and Contributors
Country Report Questionnaire
Austria
Christoph Liebscher
Bulgaria
Silvy Vasilev Chernev
Croatia
Alan Uzelac
Tomislav Nagy
Hungary
István Varga
Romania
Liliana Toader Deaconescu
Luminita Olteanu
Ligia Cecilia Popescu
Andreea Zvâc
Latvia
Ziedonis Ūdris
Russian Federation
Julia Zagonek
Pavlov Boulatov
Daria Scheglova
Gordon Blanke
Slovak Republic
Pavol Biksadsky