W poszukiwaniu prawa właściwego: stosowanie norm prawa administracyjnego i ich kolizje w międzynarodowym sporze inwestycyjnym

Abstract

This article aims to present questions concerning conflicts of norms or conflicts of laws that may arise through the application of public law (including administrative law) in proceedings before arbitration or state courts. The starting point for handling such conflicts tends to be interpretation, which, leading to the proper reconstruction of an applicable norm in a case, usually allows for avoiding the question of the conflict-of-law rule (apparent conflicts), but not in every case. Some multilateral agreements contain provisions on the law applicable in investment disputes. As a result of the development of European law, one can observe the tendency to lower the significance of arbitration and increase the competence of state courts, as has been the case with intra-EU investment disputes in recent years. Thus a number of BITs between the Republic of Poland and third countries (non-EU countries) remain in force, where some of them contain provisions on the applicable law. One can expect that these conventions will also be dissolved and supplemented mainly by mixed agreements in the near future. The conflicts of laws and norms in investment disputes occur on different layers. The way of applying law differs according to the nature of state courts and international arbitration. It can become significant in the light of the transfer of competences to national courts, as a consequence of the termination of intra-EU BITs. It is advisable that during the ongoing discussions on the creation of the Multilateral Investment Court, a regulation on the legal basis of its decisions should also be adopted, as it concerns procedural, material and conflict-of-law aspects.