Mediterranean project

The Milan Chamber of Arbitration in promoting its services has devoted special attention to the Mediterranean Region. This action is part of a more general strategy set by the Chamber of Commerce of Milan towards the Region aiming at strengthening economic relations between Milan, Italy and Mediterranean Countries.

The Mediterranean Region is an area of strategic importance for the European Union and especially for Italy that has always played a major role in this Area. That is the reason why in 2005 was launched the Mediterranean Project, which is based on the consideration that international disputes are often difficult to manage, especially for SMEs which indeed are the typical size business in the Mediterranean Area.

That prompted the Milan Chamber of Arbitration to think of a set of ADR services tailored on the needs of SMEs and to develop a series of activities in this Region for the creation of a shared system of commercial justice which protects entrepreneurs and investors while ensuring their efforts in the Area.

Objectives

The general objectives of the project are:

a) to contribute strengthening the economic and politic Euro-Mediterranean relationships;

b) to support the activities of SMEs in the Mediterranean Area;

and the specific objectives are:

c) to provide SMEs in the Mediterranean with alternative instruments of justice tailored on their needs;

d) to develop, with institutional counterparts in the Countries of the South Basin, standards and a common practice in a shared space for private commercial justice;

e) to create a favourable environment to the use of arbitration and mediation.

Actions

The planned activities for achieving the specific objectives are:

1) Services for Mediation and Arbitration (objective c)

The Milan Chamber of Arbitration offers SMEs operating in the Mediterranean region, its services of Arbitration and Mediation active since many years.

In particular, the institution offers:

- assistance in drafting clauses which have to be included in contracts;

- case managers working in Italian, English and French;

- assistance outside Italy whenever the Arbitration or the Mediation should take place in a Mediterranean Country;

- the opportunity to benefit of logistical support from arbitral institution in the Mediterranean Countries on the basis of cooperation agreements.

The Milan Chamber of Arbitration has also structured its rules of Arbitration and Mediation so that the procedures are as flexible as possible and has structured the costs system in a way that is extremely advantageous for the parties. All this in order to ensure:

- the freedom of parties to develop the procedure to their needs;

- the duration of the procedure is controlled (the institution enforces this);

- the neutrality and independence of arbitrators or mediators (evaluated by the institution);

- a predetermined and reasonable costs (which offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to estimate the economic burden of litigation);

- transparency in the management of proceedings (the institution making public the practices developed in the procedure management.

2) The reciprocal training (objective d)

For the purpose of creating a shared space for alternative justice, the Milan Chamber of Arbitration has launched with counterpart institutions a technical / scientific program of studies, to develop standards and practices. The so-called "reciprocal training" takes place through a series of discussions during which, in the presence of local businessmen and lawyers, officials of institutions discuss critical issues of Arbitration and Mediation.

3) Capacity Building / Promotion (objective e)

Moreover, in addition to what is mentioned above, to create a conducive environment to the dissemination of culture ADR, the Milan Chamber of Arbitration :

- works with the Ministries for the training of judges and officials of local governments, Chambers of Commerce and / or arbitration to strengthening or establishing new ones, if they do not already exist;

- organizes conferences and training activities to educate and inform the business community on alternative resolution of disputes.