Kingdom of Spain v Infrastructure Services Luxembourg S.a.r.l. [2021] FCAFC 3

Federal Court of Australia

Kingdom of Spain v Infrastructure Services Luxembourg S.à.r.l. [2021] FCAFC 3 Appeal from: Eiser Infrastructure Ltd v Kingdom of Spain [2020] FCA 157

File number: NSD 329 of 2020

Judgment of: ALLSOP CJ, PERRAM AND MOSHINSKY JJ

Date of judgment: 1 February 2021

Catchwords: ARBITRATION – international arbitration – applications for recognition and enforcement of awards of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) under s 35(4) of the International Arbitration Act 1974 (Cth) ('Arbitration Act') PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW – foreign state immunity – where foreign state respondent asserts sovereign immunity – interaction between s 9 of the Foreign States Immunities Act 1985 (Cth) ('Immunities Act') and the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (the ICSID Convention) which is given the force of law by s 32 of the Arbitration Act – where s 9 of the Immunities Act provides that a foreign state is immune from the jurisdiction of the courts of Australia in a proceeding – where s 10 of the Immunities Act provides that a foreign state is not immune in a proceeding in which it has submitted to jurisdiction whether by agreement or otherwise – whether by Art 54(2) of the ICSID Convention the foreign state respondent has agreed to submit itself to the jurisdiction within the meaning of s 10 of the Immunities Act PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW – foreign state immunity – interpretation of the ICSID Convention – whether the ICSID Convention excludes any claim for foreign state immunity in proceedings for the recognition and enforcement of an award – meaning of recognition and enforcement in Art 54 and execution in Art 55 – where Art 55 provides that nothing in Art 54 shall be construed as derogating from the law in force in any Contracting State in relation to immunity from execution