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Students at the Law School of MCC took part in a study trip to Stockholm organized by the Center for International Law of MCC. The goal of the study trip was to give insights into the unique atmosphere of the international dispute resolution of the prestigious Stockholm Arbitration Institute that has played a historic role in settling disputes between the Soviet Union and its successor states on the one hand and the Western states including the United States of America on the other. The study trip was especially timely as the Ukrainian conflict as well as the sanctions policy of the European Union could endanger this “bridge” function of the Stockholm and, in a broader sense, the European arbitration between East and West. The students could learn about these questions by visiting the relevant institutions, by participating in presentations of university professors, experts of this field, and lead attorneys as well as by engaging in open conversations with them.
At the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, Natalie Petrik, the Deputy Secretary General and Head of Business Development welcomed the students. Besides the unique history, structure and operation of the Institute, the conversation with Natalie also explored the timely challenges the arbitral forum faces as a result of the Ukrainian war. Another aspect of the international dispute resolution of Stockholm was demonstrated by Mattias Göransson and Fredrik Ringquist, partners and leading attorneys of the prestigious Swedish law firm, Mannheimer Swartling in an instructive conversation. The students not only gained insights into the operation of a Swedish international law firm and the exceptional arbitration culture of Sweden, but they also understood the various and detrimental effects the armed conflict along with the sanctions policy potentially have on international arbitration in East-West disputes. The academic aspect of international dispute resolution was presented by Fabricio Fortese, professor of Stockholm University and expert in arbitration, while its modern day challenges were highlighted by Lénárd Sándor, Head of Center for International Law at the MCC who organized the academic program of this study trip. In addition, the International Directorate of the Stockholm University kindly offered a tour around the university campus that showed how the life of a student looks like there and why it is worth choosing Stockholm for studying abroad with the support of a scholarship.
The students were also welcomed by Her Excellency Ambassador Adrien Müller, the Ambassador of Hungary to Sweden. The rich and instructive conversation organized in the Hungarian Embassy of Sweden explored the political, economic, and cultural life of Sweden, the Swedish way of life and thinking along with the Swedish Hungarian relations. And if it is Stockholm, a visit to the museum of the legendary Swedish band ABBA had to be on the list.
The three-day long study trip has not only broadened the knowledge and perspective of students, but it also offered an excellent opportunity for networking. The Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce was open to engage in a dialogue about a launching fellowship program. The negotiation can continue in November when the Institute will be also represented in the conference “Walking the New Silk Road” co-organized by the Mathias Corvinus Collegium on the economic-legal relations and dispute settlement between the European Union and China.
