Conference on Investment Arbitration for Businesses and Legal Professionals

Prishtina, May 4, 2017 –  Arbitration Center of the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo organized a conference on Investment Arbitration for Businesses and Legal Professionals. Korab Sejdiu and Ardi Shita provided an overview of the legal framework in Kosovo pertaining to the foreign investments and the benefits of resolving disputes deriving out of those professional relations through commercial arbitration.

Sejdiu focused on the faster procedures of resolving foreign investment disputes through arbitration, having in mind great autonomy of will of the parties in accordance with which, parties can choose rules of procedure, the arbitrators, relying on the confidentiality commercial arbitration provides, including easier enforcement of arbitral awards. According to Mr.Sejdiu, not opting for commercial arbitration when dealing with commercial disputes, especially those between domestic companies, represents to some extent a “professional violation”.

Shita discussed a problem that foreign investors have with long judicial procedures, but emphasized that they have a problem with the rule of law in Kosovo primarily, something that is followed by the low level of opting for commercial arbitration among businesses. Furthermore, both panelists called businesses to lobby on the possibility of resolving labor disputes through arbitration, having in mind the current procedure of amending and supplementing the Labor Law in Kosovo.