Zurich Commercial Court to hear international disputes

Zurich – The Zurich Commercial Court will also have jurisdiction to hear international disputes at the request of the parties and will hear them in English as the Zurich International Commercial Court. This is what the Zurich cantonal government is proposing. He wants to use it to strengthen the business location.

(CONNECT) The Canton of Zurich is to establish a Zurich International Commercial Court (ZICC). This is what the government council is proposing, according to a press release. The ZICC is to be part of the existing commercial court and can hear cases in English. It is made possible by an amendment to the Swiss Code of Civil Procedure, which came into force at the beginning of the year. It is to be responsible for international commercial disputes. The amount in dispute is at least CHF 100,000.

With the ZICC, the cantonal government wants to strengthen Zurich as a location for justice and business. In its ruling, it refers to similar courts in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Mannheim, the Netherlands Commercial Court, the London Commercial Court and the Singapore International Commercial Court. The Government Council recalls a proposal by the Cantonal Council in 2019 to set up such a court, for which the legal basis was lacking at the time.

Based on international experience, the Government Council expects the annual number of cases to be in the low single-digit range. Staff increases are not necessary. Any additional costs would be covered by the court fees. ce/stk

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