It is a pleasure and a privilege to introduce this third Dossier of the Institute

Parallel State and Arbitral Procedures in International Arbitration raises topical and fascinating issues. It is indeed the Institute's policy to debate issues of immediate interest to the world of international arbitration at its Annual Meeting. Our approach is both scientific and pragmatic, and the most renowned experts come to share the very latest issues with the floor.

Practitioners of international commercial arbitration are facing growing trends in our global world, one of them being the increasing role of states in the international business world. There is also a frequent tendency to have recourse to delaying tactics, even though arbitral proceedings, being naturally less aggressive and, ideally, more rapid and less costly, should remain different from procedures in State courts.

The considerable increase of Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) in particular has led, to use the words of Bernardo M. Cremades, to a confrontation between traditional commercial arbitration and the brave new world of investment arbitration. Whether multilateral or bilateral, their jurisdiction or arbitration provisions increase the number of potential conflicts.

Classical issues such as parallel proceedings, enforcement or annulment of awards, consolidation of procedures, joinders, intervention, res judicata, lis pendens arbitralis, collateral estoppels, waivers, forum shopping, etc. now have to be viewed from a different angle.

The ICC Institute is therefore extremely grateful to all the contributors, particularly Bernardo M. Cremades and Julian D.M. Lew, the co-editors of this Dossier. We are happy to contribute towards modern international arbitration with the high-level contributions you will find in this book.

As usual, I hope that I will have the pleasure of welcoming you to one of the Institute's events in the near future.