On the 21 November 2019, William Buck delivered a speech to delegates at the International Arbitration Conference 2019 held in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. The bi-annual event attracted delegates from around the whole for the four day conference which covered a range of topics affecting both arbitrations and off-shore litigation. William’s speech was a comparative analysis of the availability of anti-arbitration injunctions in England and Wales and the BVI, with particular focus on the recent leading judgment of the English Court of Appeal in Sabbagh v Khoury [2019] EWCA Civ 1219.

Professor Panos Koutrakos gave a lecture at the Legal Conference 2019 organised by the European Central Bank on 2-3 September 2019 in Frankfurt. The title of the lecture was ‘What the principle of autonomy of EU law is really about?’. It examined the relevance of EU law to investment arbitration and analysed issues raised in the context of Bilateral Investment Treaties as well as the Energy Charter Treaty in the light of the recent Achmea judgment of the European Court of Justice and Opinion 1/17 on the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

Professor Koutrakos follows these issues closely and has written extensively about them (for instance, ‘The Autonomy of EU law and International Investment Arbitration (2019) 88 Nordic Journal of International Law 41-64).

The Icelandic Parliament has on 2 September 2019 agreed to the adoption of the adapted Third EU Energy Package. The Icelandic government was advised by Professor Carl Baudenbacher (read here). Baudenbacher also gave oral evidence to the Foreign Committee of the Icelandic Parliament and answered questions on national TV (here).

The Third EU Energy Package, which is intended to open the EU’s gas and electricity markets and boost competition came into force in the EU in 2009.

Iceland’s parliament approved the package with 46 votes in favour and 13 against. The bill was opposed by a group of parliamentarians led by former Prime Minister Sigmundur Davið Gunnlaugsson.

Iceland is part of the European Economic Area (EEA), made up of the EU and its Member States and the three EFTA countries Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Iceland also belongs to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) which includes said EEA/EFTA countries and Switzerland. Iceland’s approval was needed for the package to come into effect in Iceland itself, Norway and Liechtenstein.

George Peretz QC gave evidence this morning to the House of Commons Select Committee on Exiting the EU. The topic was the UK’s level playing field commitments after Brexit. George answered various questions on State aid and other legal issues. A video link and transcript will be available on the Committee’s website (here).

Professor Panos Koutrakos gave the prestigious annual ICLQ (International and Comparative Law Quarterly) Lecture on 13 May 2019 at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law in London. The topic of his lecture was ‘Judicial Review in the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy’.

The lecture was based on the article he published in (2018) 67 ICLQ 1. The article is free to access for 1 month from the publisher’s website.

On 7 May, George Peretz QC gave oral evidence to the House of Commons Northern Ireland Select Committee, which is currently investigating the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme in Northern Ireland.  He answered various questions from MPs on the ways in which the State aid rules may apply to the scheme.  A brief summary of part of his evidence appears in today’s story in the Irish Times, and a full transcript will be published by the Committee in due course.

On 8 March 2019, Professor Carl Baudenbacher delivered the eighth annual Sir Jeremy Lever Lecture at Oxford University. The lecture honours the contribution to the development of EU and competition law of Sir Jeremy Lever, the former Head of Monckton Chambers.

Professor Baudenbacher is the former President of the EFTA Court, a distinguished academic and a door tenant at Monckton Chambers. His lecture was entitled “Judicial Dialogue in times of European (dis) Integration” and the outline of it can be accessed here. The lecture was chaired by The Rt. Hon. Lady Justice Rose.

 The event was followed by a celebratory dinner at All Souls College.

Monckton’s Greg Pipe is to chair a session on “The year in case law: commercial litigation in review” at this year’s CDR’s Autumn Litigation Symposium, to be held on 20th Sep 2018 in London.

The Commercial Dispute Resolution team at Monckton Chambers is happy to support this one day conference which will focus on the key  strategic dispute resolution issues facing practitioners, including the impact of civil justice reform on commercial clients, client perspectives on managing litigation strategy, reform of the discovery process in England & Wales, managing class and group actions – whether for claimants or defendants – and the implications of Brexit, and how to manage the enforcement of judgements and successful asset preservation and recovery strategies internationally.

For further information on this event and/or to register, go to the CDR website.