historia CIAM-CIAR
historia CIAM-CIAR

History and values

The Madrid International Arbitration Center – Ibero-American Arbitration Center (CIAM-CIAR) started its activity on 1 January 2020 to offer an independent, transparent and efficient service for the administration of international arbitration proceedings in Spanish, Portuguese, English and French.

CIAM-CIAR is an organ of the Association for International Arbitration of Madrid created on 25 July 2019 by the Official Chamber of Commerce Industry and Services of Madrid, the Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of Spain, and the Association of the Civil and Commercial Court of Arbitration (or CIAM-CIAR’s “Founding Courts”).

CIAM-CIAR is the result of the merger of the international activity of the Madrid Court of Arbitration (“CAM”), the Civil and Commercial Arbitration Court (“CIMA”) and the Spanish Court of Arbitration (“CEA”), which has also been joined by the Court of Arbitration of the Madrid Bar Association (“ICAM”) as a strategic partner.

Madrid Court of Arbitration

Civil and Commercial Court of Arbitration

Spanish Court of Arbitration

Court of Arbitration of the Madrid Bar Association

Scope of action

1. CIAM-CIAR administers only international arbitrations.

2. The Center administers international disputes
– deriving from contracts with arbitration agreements designating CIAM-CIAR as the administering institution, and
– deriving from contracts with arbitration agreements that designate any of the founding Courts (CAM, CEA, CIMA or ICAM) as the administering institution (“transferred cases”).

3. In terms of transferred cases:

    • All disputes arising from arbitral agreements signed after 1 January 2020 this will be administered by CIAM-CIAR. In such cases, the transfer is automatic.
    • For disputes arising from arbitral agreements entered before 1 January 2020, they will initially be administered by the Founding Court. However, CIAM-CIAR will invite the parties to consider transferring the case to CIAM-CIAR. If the parties agree on that transfer, CIAM-CIAR will administer the case. Otherwise, the Founding Court will continue administering the case.