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Today the Brazilian Federal Government issued the Provisional Measure 752/2016, with new rules for extending the term of some concessions of railways, highways and airports, in consideration for additional investments. Those rules also apply to termination of certain supposedly problematic concessions, which will be subject to new bids to replace the service provider. Those rules were issued in the context of the new Brazilian privatization program (Programa de Parcerias de Investimentos – PPI) implemented by President Temer.

A hot discussion on the new privatization program concerned how to define the indemnification due to the private parties, the concessions of which will be terminated. The solution was to ascertain the amount of indemnification through arbitration. Please note that the new rules do not establish the criteria to be adopted for this purpose.

The Provisional Measure establishes that the concession agreements between the government and the private parties in this program will have either an arbitration clause or another ADR provision, such as mediation. The private party will fully advance the costs and expenses of the arbitration, but the final arbitral award may sentence the government to pay back such costs. The arbitration will be held in Brazil and the language will be Portuguese. The rules clarify that the following matters can be submitted to the arbitration: (i) compensation to reestablish the economic equilibrium of the contract; (ii) the indemnification due to termination or transfer of the contract; and (iii) whether or not a party breached a contractual obligation. The federal govern will issue a decree with the criteria for choosing the arbitral chambers which will manage the procedures.

Those rules show that the Brazilian government’s commitment to arbitration, which will not only be the venue to resolve disputes on the new concessions, but will also address one of the most sensitive issues on the old concessions, that is to say, the value of indemnification due to early termination.

Please note that under Brazilian Law Provisional Measures immediately produce the effects of laws, but they have to be confirmed by the Congress, which can reject them or modify their contents. Therefore, those new rules may still be subject to change. The new privatization program is expected to start being rolled out by the second quarter of 2017, when Provision Measure 752/2016 will have been analyzed by the Congress.

Author

Joaquim de Paiva Muniz is a partner and head of the arbitration team in Trench Rossi Watanabe. Joaquim has an LL.M. from the University of Chicago and is the chair of the Arbitration Commission of the Rio de Janeiro Bar (OAB/RJ) and coordinator of arbitration courses of the Rio de Janeiro Bar, including a lato sensu graduate course. Joaquim is an officer of the Brazilian Arbitration and Mediation Center, which is the largest of its kind in Rio de Janeiro, as well as an author of many books, including the Arbitration Law of Brazil: Practice and Procedure (Juris Publishing, 2nd Edition 2015) and Curso Básico de Direito Arbitral (Juruá, 4rd Edition 2017). Joaquim can be reached at joaquim.muniz@trenchrossi.com.

Author

Luis Peretti is a senior associate in the arbitration and ADR practice group of Trench Rossi e Watanabe Advogados in cooperation with Baker & McKenzie. He assists Brazilian and foreign clients in domestic and International arbitration proceedings in connection with a wide range of legal areas, such as agribusiness, construction, infrastructure, intellectual property and corporate transactions. His practice areas include pre-arbitration consulting, as well as counseling in arbitration proceedings before the best-reputed arbitration institutions - Brazilian and foreign - and in lawsuits ancillary to arbitration proceedings. Luis Peretti became an associate in Trench Rossi e Watanabe Advogados in 2011. He practices in civil litigation since 2004 and has developed experience in domestic and international arbitrations involving commercial disputes as well as investment disputes conducted under the auspices of the ICSID. Luis Peretti can be reached at Luis.Peretti@trenchrossi.com and + 55 11 3048 6800.