On 7 August 2024, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court (“SFSC”) deliberated on the courts interpretation of an award by an arbitral tribunal seated in Switzerland (case no. 4A_34/2024 [in German]). Factual background The dispute at stake originated between a Dutch company (the claimant and subsequently appellant before the SFSC proceedings) and a German company (the respondent and defendant before the SFSC proceedings) concerning a 1985 agreement for the sale of Dutch natural gas. Over time, the parties…

In a decision of April 3, 2024, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court (“SFSC”) dismissed an application by Spain for an annulment of an arbitral award issued by an ad hoc-arbitral tribunal seated in Geneva. The arbitral tribunal had held that Spain had failed to accord fair and equitable treatment to a French company which had acquired and developed, through Spanish subsidiaries, twelve photovoltaic installations in Spain, and had awarded to the French investor EUR 29…

On 1 January 2023, the revised Swiss Code of Obligations (“CO”) will enter into force. The revised act includes a new article 697n, which expressly allows Swiss corporations (and by reference also limited partnerships and limited liability companies) to include a statutory arbitration clause in their articles of association. Unless otherwise stipulated, the statutory arbitration clause applies to all corporate law disputes and is binding on the company itself, the company’s governing bodies and its…