FRANCE Law and Practice Contributed by: Kyum Lee, Florian Dessault, Hannah Cobbett and Claire Gonzalez, BDGS Associés
BDGS Associés 51 rue François 1er 75008 Paris France
Tel: +33 1 42 99 22 22 Fax: +33 1 42 99 22 41 Email: contact@bdgs-associes.com Web: www.bdgs-associes.com
1. General 1.1 Prevalence of Arbitration
parties have agreed to apply an earlier version of the Rules. Apart from the ICC, France has a number of other arbitration institutions, such as: • the French Association for Arbitration ( Association Française d ’ Arbitrage ); • the Regional Chamber of Arbitration ( Chambre Régionale d ’ Arbitrage ); • the International Arbitration Chamber of Paris ( Chambre Arbitrale Internationale de Paris , CAIP); • the Paris Centre of Mediation and Arbitration ( Cen- tre de Médiation et d ’ Arbitrage de Paris , CMAP); and • the European Court of Arbitration located in Stras - bourg. France also has a number of specialised arbitration institutions – for example: • the French Arbitration Centre for Reinsurance and Insurance ( Centre Français d ’ Arbitrage de Réassur- ance et d ’ Assurance , CEFAREA); • the Paris Maritime Arbitration Chamber ( La Cham- bre Arbitrale Maritime de Paris ); and • the Arbitration Chamber for Mass Retail ( Chambre Arbitrale de la grande distribution , CAGD). The Arbitration Chamber for Mass Retail was estab - lished on 18 June 2024 and entered into an exclusive partnership agreement with the CAIP.
It is common for parties to high-value, French law- governed cross-border transactions to submit dis - putes to international arbitration, frequently under the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Rules. The principal attractions are: • procedural flexibility; • the ability to select arbitrators; • potential efficiency and extensive electronic case management; and • the arbitration-friendly approach of French law to court support, review and enforcement. Confidentiality is also available where it is provided by the arbitration agreement, applicable institutional rules or an order of the arbitral tribunal; it is not a general default rule for international arbitration under French law (see 9.1 Extent of Confidentiality ). 1.2 Key Industries The key industries in France for international arbitra - tion proceedings are construction, energy, industry and digital technologies. Disputes most often relate to breach of contract or abrupt termination of estab - lished commercial relationships ( rupture brutale des
relations commerciales établies ). 1.3 Arbitration Institutions
The key arbitration institution in France is the ICC’s International Court of Arbitration. The 2026 ICC Rules entered into force on 1 June 2026 and govern arbi - trations commenced on or after that date, unless the
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