Views
Refusal to Enforce in Egypt of a Californian (U.S.) Judgment for Lack of Reciprocity: What Has Gotten into the Egyptian Supreme Court?
I. Introduction
Sometimes, reading court decisions leaves a strange sense of confusion, especially when the decision rendered not only contradicts a well-established line of case law, but also when the court, in the very same decision, reveals internal contradictions. Several months ago, I critically discussed on this blog a rather unusual decision of the Egyptian Supreme Court (محكمة النقض/maḥkamat an-naqḍ), in which the enforcement of a Canadian judgment was denied on the ground that reciprocity had not been established with Canada. In my comments on that decision, I expressed “significant concerns” regarding the incoherent manner in which reciprocity was addressed by the Supreme Court.
PRC Double Interest neither Double nor Penal: Australian Courts Clear Its Name When Enforcing Chinese Judgments
This post was kindly prepared by Dr. Meng Yu, lecturer at China University of Political Science and Law, and co-founder of China Justice Observer.
[ABSTRACT]
Recent Australian case law clarifies that the “double interest” mechanism in the People’s Republic of China (hereafter ‘PRC’) monetary judgments functions as a compensatory post-judgment interest framework rather than an unenforceable penalty. This consolidates Australia’s position as a highly attractive and creditor-friendly forum for enforcing Chinese judgments. See Zhengzhou Lvdu Real Estate Group Co v Shu [2024] NSWSC 58 (6 February 2024), Fu v Pang [2025] VSC 597 (16 September 2025), and Shanghai Chenggong Industrial Co Ltd v Zhihua Chen [2025] NSWSC 1112 (27 October 2025).
The AIFC Court, Gazprom v Naftogaz and the Emergence of a New Conduit Jurisdiction Debate
This post is written by Dr. Nicolás Zambrana-Tévar LLM(LSE) PhD(Navarra), Associate Professor School of Law KIMEP
Introduction
In May 2026, the Court of First Instance of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) recognised and enforced a Swiss ICC arbitral award rendered in favour of Naftogaz against Gazprom. The award arose out of the disputes between the parties concerning the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine after the start of the war.
News
SLAPP-Directive implemented in Belgium
The SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) Directive of the EU (2024/1069 of 11 April 2024) is transposed in Belgian law by the Act of 30 May 2026. The Act was published in the Belgian Official Journal on 12 June 2026 (see the French version and the Dutch version), and will enter into force on 22 June 2026.
The main features of the Act are:
- it inserts a new chapter in the Judicial Code on the “Protection of Persons involved in Public Debate against Manifestly Unfounded Claims or Abuse of Procure” (Part IV, Book IV, new Chapter XXVII);
- it allows the court to, upon request by the defendant or of its own motion, oblige the plaintiff to provide security for costs in the case of a SLAPP;
- it provides for early dismissal of a SLAPP (at any time during the procedure);
- it makes such early dismissal possible at the introductory session or at a speedy date;
- it places the burden of proof on the plaintiff to show that the claim against public participation is not manifestly unfounded;
- it inserts an extra basis of jurisdiction in the Private International Law Code (echoed in the Judicial Code) to allow persons residing in Belgium who were subjected to a SLAPP outside the EU to bring a claim for damages and costs at the place of their residence in Belgium (new Art. 96/1);
- it adds a ground for refusal of judgments from States outside the EU if the judgment was based on a procedure that falls in the definition of a SLAPP (Art. 25 §1, 10°);
- it reaffirms the role of the Belgian Federal Institute for Human Rights (IFDH / FIRM) as the central contact point for SLAPP cases. This institute can intervene in cases by simple letter to the registrar of the court.
Despite earlier discussions about the matter, the Act is limited to civil proceedings, and not extended to criminal proceedings, which the IFDM / FIRM regrets.
Out Now: Status and Family Relationships in European PIL
The new extensive Volume Status and Family Relationships in Private International Law was just published by Edward Elgar Publishing.
Edited by Silvia Marino (University of Insubria, Como), Anna Wysocka-Bar (Jagiellonian University, Kraków) and Javier Carrascosa González (University of Murcia), the volume, builds on the presentations delivered at the 2024 EAPIL Winter School, held in Como in February 2024. It is the second book in the European Association of Private International Law series.
African Review of International Law – Inaugural Issue & Call for Contributions
Many thanks to Boris Awa (Kigali Independent University ULK, Kigali, Rwanda) for the tip-off
The birth of a new academic journal is always good news, especially when its stated aim is “to become one of the leading scientific publications on international law” and when it is “primarily intended as a forum for African international lawyers’ reflection and research on issues of interest to Africa.” This is precisely the ambition pursued by the newly launched African Review of International Law (ARIL) / Revue africaine de droit international (RADI), published by the African Society of International Law (AfSIL).