A visit to Milan is always a great experience – not only because of the historical sights, the vibrant ambiente, the fashion scene, the Italian savoir vivre, the cultural experiences and the delicious food.

Milan is the commercial, industrial and financial capital of Italy.
But it doesn’t stop there, Milan is home to over 2,000 foreign invested enterprises. It is a multi-sector, multi-dimensional, international, integrated system, and one that represents the driving force of the Italian economy.

No wonder that Milan wishes to have an international commercial court.

But setting up, maintaining and keeping such a commercial court functionally relevant is not that simple.

Therefore, at the initiative of the Camera degli Avvocati Internazionalisti, the Milan Bar Council, the Ordine degli Avvocati di Milano, and under the Patrocinio Commune di Milano, a very special meeting was organised and held.

Last Friday 18 November at the Palazzo Reale delegates from the judiciary of the Tribunale and the Appeal Court of Milan, Milan’s lawyers, distinguished law professors and a delegation from abroad discussed:

“A special Judicial Chamber for Private International Disputes? European Developments and an Italian Proposal”.

Laure Aldebert, Judge of the International Chamber, Commercial Court of Paris, explained the French model.
Patrick Melin, Presiding Judge of the Commercial Civil Division of the Stuttgart Commercial Court demonstrated the German system in Stuttgart.

Together with Duco Oranje, President of the Netherlands Commercial Court of Appeal, I had the tremendous honour of elucidating how the Dutch NCC works successfully, being the only commercial court within the EU where the entire procedure, from the summons, the hearing to the judgment takes place entirely in English, rendering high quality judgments by specialized judges within a much shorter lead time in first instance and in appeal. We also discussed in detail the importance of the commercial court alongside or instead of arbitration.

Milan is pondering what its Commercial Court will look like – it was a tremendous honour and a pleasure to join this highly learned and experienced company.

Many thanks for this amazing invitation and also for the special and warm welcome by President Fabio Roia of the Tribunale di Milano at the Palazzo di Giustizia di Milano.