Albares agrees with the legal sector to promote international arbitration in Spanish

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, during the signing of the protocol

José Manuel Albares presided over the signing of a General Protocol of Action to support Spanish in the legal field signed by the Ministry he heads with the Madrid International Arbitration Centre - Ibero-American Arbitration Centre (CIAM-CIAR) and the Spanish and Ibero-American Arbitration Club (CEIA).

The purpose of this document is to promote international arbitration in Spanish, increase coordination among the parties, consolidate Madrid as the capital of Ibero-American arbitration on the eve of the Ibero-American Summit to be hosted by the capital of Spain, contribute to the dissemination of studies on the subject, and support training projects for Ibero-American jurists and university arbitration competitions in Spanish.

During the event, which was opened by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation himself, Albares emphasised that "firm progress is being made to ensure that the economic weight of Spanish is directly related to the use of the Spanish language in international litigation".

During the event, the results of the report "Use of the Spanish language in international arbitration 2025" were also presented, a report produced by the Global Observatory of Spanish in cooperation with the CEIA and the Ministry. According to data from the ICC (International Chamber of Commerce, based in Paris), in arbitrations administered by the ICC during the last ten years, awards issued in Spanish have represented between 4.26% and 8.16% of the total awards, while in the same period the proportion of cases whose applicable law is in Spanish is higher (ranging between 12.74% and 16.37%). This translates into great potential for growth if Spanish-speaking parties to arbitrations commit to the goal of increasing the use of Spanish.

Spanish as a global language

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation has been working for some time with other governments and the Ibero-American legal sector to implement various initiatives to promote the use of Spanish in international organisations and courts, such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) and the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT).

As a result of this work, Spanish was recognised as an official language at the HCCH in 2024, and a multilateral process has been initiated for the recognition of our language as an official language at the International Court of Justice in the Hague. In the rest of the organisations, the use of Spanish is increasing in their daily activities and in their communication.

Arbitration in Spanish has strategic importance in encouraging economic activity and legal certainty in Ibero-American countries and globally. Arbitration helps to promote international trade and investment by fostering respect for the rule of law and the confidence necessary for economic activity, and provides an effective mechanism for dispute settlement.

Non official translation