CIAM-CIAR

With the aim of strengthening Spain’s leading position as an international centre for commercial dispute resolution, the Madrid Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services, the Civil and Commercial Court of Arbitration and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Shipping signed a Memorandum of Understanding to combine the arbitral activities of the three institutions and create a unified court of arbitration to administer international arbitration proceedings on 18 December 2017.

As a result of this combination of international activities, the Madrid Association for International Arbitration was created on 25 July 2019 to provide global economic operators, particularly in Europe and Ibero-America, with an efficient and expeditious service for resolving international commercial disputes through the Madrid International Arbitration Center (CIAM-CIAR), which started its activities on 1 January 2020.

CIAM is hence the product of a combination of the international activities of the Madrid Court of Arbitration (CAM), the Civil and Commercial Court of Arbitration (CIMA) and the Spanish Court of Arbitration (CEA), with the Court of Arbitration of the Madrid Bar Association (ICAM) joining as a strategic partner.

It administers disputes arising through direct appointments (arbitration agreements designating CIAM-CIAR as the administering institution) and referrals (arbitration agreements designating any of CAM, CEA, CIMA or ICAM as the administering institution).

Referral is automatic for agreements entered into from 1 January 2020, while earlier agreements will be initially administered by the relevant entity. However, the relevant entity will invite the parties to consider moving the case to CIAM-CIAR. CIAM-CIAR will then administer the case if the parties agree to it. Otherwise, the relevant entity will continue to administer the case.