There are a number of reasons to chose Portugal as arbitral seat
250 million Portuguese speaking people (6th most spoken language)
The Portuguese Civil Code still in force in Angola (except for the Family Law Chapter), Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé e Príncipe, Mozambique
The arbitration laws in Portuguese speaking countries generally follow the old Portuguese Arbitration Law (Law n.º 31/86 of 29 August 1986), except for Brazil and Guinea-Bissau
Common language and shared cultural, historic, and legal backgrounds
Investment opportunities in Portuguese speaking countries are bubbling, including in the energy and oil & gas sectors
The “One Belt One Road” Chinese programme provides for a road from “Lobito” (Angola) to Dar-es-Salam
Easily accessible: geography (which includes London time-zone) makes Lisbon the best seat for international arbitrations involving Portuguese speaking parties across the globe
Friendly and safe country
Comfortable direct (or just one-stop) connection flights from all over the world
Stable environment, and a modern and robust legal framework
Modern arbitration centres and state-of-the-art facilities to manage arbitrations and hold hearings
Portuguese lawyers are internationally-oriented, drawing on a large pool of practitioners
Arbitration is cost-efficient and tailored to the needs of the parties
