croatia

THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA • 2003
GENERAL INFORMATION
STATE AUTHORITY
today as well as in future, is to secure the best possible protection of consumer rights against the infringements
of fair business practices and business ethics committed by the members of the CCE.
Permanent Arbitration Court The Permanent Arbitration Court was established within the Chamber
in 1853. After an intermission, it restarts its activity in 1965 as a modern institution that settles corporate
disputes. In the beginning, it dealt only with domestic legal entities. Since Croatia gained independence, the
Court has also had jurisdiction over international disputes involving both foreign legal entities and natural per-
sons. Over the last ten years, more than 300 new claims have been filed. Among them, 40% have been international
disputes involving parties from 25 different countries.
The total value of claims in this period exceeds the equivalent of DEM 700 million. This testifies to the economic
importance and trust earned by the Court with regard to solving complex and important commercial disputes.
ECONOMY
Arbitration is a method of dispute settlement in a “private” tribunal that substitutes regular litigation in
official courts. The basis of each arbitration is a voluntary agreement between parties who have included an
arbitration clause in their contracts stipulating final settlement of possible disputes by arbitrators, persons ih
CULTURE
SPORTS
ADDRESSES
CROATIAN SPECIALTIES
whom they have trust, instead at a court. Arbitration decisions are final, with no possibility to appeal. Their
legal force is equal to that of a regular state court.
The Permanent Arbitration Court is not a separate court. It is a specific auxiliary service that assists parties
and arbitrators in carrying out the procedure. Its basic tasks are assistance in constituting an arbitration court
that shall consist of one or more arbitrators appointed by the disputing parties as well as providing conditions
for the quick and orderly execution of the arbitration procedure.
The composition and operation of the Court are determined by its basic documents. The procedure in a litigation
that has no international elements is regulated by the Rules of the Permanent Arbitration Court, while
the Zagreb Rules (ZagrebaËka pravila) apply in disputes with international elements. The lists of the Permanent
Arbitration Court from which parties can choose their arbitrators include about 150 Croatian and foreign legal
experts. In addition to arbitration procedures, the Court also organizes commercial conciliation procedures. As
of 1994, the Court has been publishing the Croatian Arbitration Yearbook, a periodical in English, which has
become the leading international arbitration publication in Croatia and the region.