2022年10月3日,阿联酋颁布了第42号联邦法令,该法令已于2023年1月2日生效。新的阿联酋民事诉讼法废除了1992年第11号民事诉讼法及其所有修正案/执行条例。
新的民事诉讼法对诉讼程序有重大、实质性的修改,旨在改变诉讼程序,使之成为更有效和快速地处理民商事诉讼案件。
虽然阿拉伯语仍然是阿联酋内陆法院的官方语言,但是,最显著的法律修改之一是,在特定条件下,允许用英语在阿联酋当地法庭进行诉讼。
新民事诉讼法第5条规定:
此次民事诉讼法的修改这意味着:(1)审判将用英语进行;(2)判决和决定将用英语作出;(3)当事人可以用英语提交诉状和文件;(4)证人可以用英语作证;(5)律师也可以用英语进行口头陈述。
总体而言,新的民事诉讼法旨在进一步改善阿联酋法院的诉讼程序,使之更加有力、快速和高效。我们预计,新的民事诉讼法将更加便利当事人处理国际民商事诉讼案件,特别是,在法庭用英语处理民商事纠纷的成本将远远低于国际仲裁,此次修改将使得阿联酋的当地法院更加具有吸引力,也最终使得迪拜的国际城市地位再上一个新层面。
UAE allow courts to hear cases in English
On October 3, 2022, the UAE issued Federal Decree No. 42, which came into effect on January 2, 2023. The new UAE Civil Procedure Law repeals the Civil Procedure Law No. 11 of 1992 and all its amendments/implementing regulations .
The new Civil Procedure Law has major and substantial changes to the procedure , aiming to change the procedures so that it can handle civil and commercial litigation cases more efficiently and quickly .
While Arabic remains the official language of the UAE's interior courts, one of the most notable changes to the law allows English to be used in local UAE courts under certain conditions .
Article 5 of the new Civil Procedure Law stipulates :
- The Vice-President of the Federal Judicial Council or the Supervisory Judge of the local judiciary must, in certain cases, issue a decision directing the particular jurisdiction to proceed with the case in English, including written submissions;
- All court proceedings, decisions, party and witness statements, counsel pleadings, indictments, court memorandums, evidence/documents and judgments shall be in English;
- If the court decides to hear parties or witnesses whose language is not English, it must be done through a certified interpreter and subject to the rules for decisions made by the vice-president or supervising judge.
This revision of the Civil Procedure Law means that: (1) trials will be conducted in English; (2) judgments and decisions will be made in English; (3) parties can submit claims and documents in English; (4) witnesses can use English (5) Attorneys can also make oral statements in English.
Overall, the new Code of Civil Procedure Law aims to further improve the proceedings in UAE courts , making them more robust, expeditious and efficient. We expect that the new Civil Procedure Law will make it easier for the parties to handle international civil and commercial litigation cases. In particular, the cost of handling civil and commercial disputes in court in English will be far lower than that of international arbitration . This revision will make the local courts of the UAE more It is attractive, and finally brings Dubai's status as an international city to a new level.