FNC approves draft federal law on arbitration
ABU DHABI 28 February 2018: The UAE’s Federal National Council (FNC) has approved a draft federal law on arbitration.
The provisions of the law will apply to all arbitrations within the country, as long as the parties agree on not being subject to another arbitration law, and on condition that it should not contradict with the country’s public order and morals and any international commercial arbitration. The parties must agree to be subject to the provisions of the law and any arbitration that arise from conflicts in legal contractual or non-contractual relationships specified by the country’s laws, except if exempted by a specific article.
The session was chaired by Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Speaker and attended by Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, and representatives of ministries, government institutions and the private sector. Part of the session was attended by Dr. Ali Abdel Aal, Speaker of the Egypt’s House of Representatives, and his delegation, who are currently visiting the UAE, said Wam.
During the session, FNC members asked Minister Al Mansouri several questions. Aisha bin Samnoh asked him about the Consumer Protection Law and its executive regulations; Ahmed Yousef Al Nuaimi asked him about the Ministry’s procedures to limit artificial price rises; Hamad Ahmed Al Rahoumi asked him about the Ministry’s statement about enabling car owners to perform regular maintenance of their cars without invalidating their warranty, and Salem Ali Al Shehhi asked a question about the rising fees to practice economic activities.
In his reply to the questions, Al Mansouri stressed that the Consumer Protection Law for 2006 defines a consumer as someone who receives a service while the supplier provides a service and produces goods. The rest of the articles focus on goods and neglected services, he added while noting that the law stipulates that the Minister of Economy must take the required decisions, as part of the competences of the Higher Consumer Protection Committee, which is chaired by the Minister of Economy.
He explained that the committee has issued relevant decisions and has considered unified contracts for new cars.
The UAE is among the first countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, to apply VAT, and there are remarks relating to differences in prices, and the Ministry has adopted procedures and coordinated with the FDA, as this mechanism is part of its responsibilities, he concluded.