Summary

This article provides an outline of the activities of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI) Arbitral Tribunal which has been operating since passage of Arbitral Tribunal Act on 14 August 1991. In March 1992, the ECCI Presidium approved the Rules of the Arbitral Tribunal which is the basis for the activities of the latter. Pursuant to law, the Arbitral Tribunal is a private institution set up for resolution of disputes arising from contract and other civil law relationships. Consent of the parties for resolution of a dispute by an arbitral tribunal is voluntary. Voluntary recource of the parties to an arbitral tribunal is, as a rule, provided by an arbitration clause in a contract which prescribes resolution of disputes arising from the contract by a designated arbitral tribunal. Arbitral procedure is not free of charge. The membership of the tribunal is agreed upon by the parties themselves or it is appointed by the arbitral tribunal board after the matter is accepted for review by the tribunal. An arbitral award is in writing and is final. The ECCI Arbitral Tribunal has reviewed 37 disputes during the first three years of its activity. The parties in dispute are both from Estonia and foreign countries.