knowledge 23 March 2026 |

Ireland Announced as EMEA Hub for ICDR Arbitration

ICDR is the international division of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”), the largest arbitral institution in the world. Minister Burke’s announcement, which was jointly made with AAA president and CEO Bridget McCormack, will see the establishment of ICDR-Ireland, which will act as an arbitration hub for the EMEA region. It is understood that it is the Irish Government’s expectation that US companies will choose to incorporate ICDR-Ireland jurisdictional clauses into contracts with EMEA-based counterparties and that ICDR-Ireland will become a key forum for cross-border alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”). In his remarks, Minister Burke emphasised Ireland’s strong legal system, pro-enterprise environment and deep economic ties with the United States as factors underpinning ICDR-Ireland’s capacity to deliver reliable, consistent ADR outcomes for US companies engaging in cross-border EMEA transactions.

Comment

Ireland’s position as an attractive jurisdiction for cross-border ADR is driven by several factors, including:

• The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union leaving Ireland as the only remaining English-speaking European Union member state with a common law system;
• The Recast Brussels Regulations allowing for judgments delivered by Irish Courts issued in Ireland to be easily enforced in other European Union member states; and
• Ireland’s strong legal system which includes practitioners with cross-sectoral experience advising companies operating at a global scale and an independent, experienced judiciary.

The announcement also follows the Irish Government’s publication of the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2025 (See previous McCann FitzGerald LLP briefing note), which provides a potential framework for the enforcement of awards made in certain investor-state dispute procedures in Ireland. While a timeline for ICDR-Ireland entering operation has yet to be provided, this initiative builds on significant existing groundwork in Ireland in the ADR sphere and all indicators suggest that Ireland holds the institutional capabilities for this initiative to enjoy long-term success. While the Irish courts will remain a respected and effective forum to which parties may agree to refer disputes, arbitration administered by the ICDR offers potential advantages to traditional court adjudication, including: that ICDR proceedings are confidential by default; that discovery obligations are less onerous; and that more limited grounds exist for the appeal of arbitral awards, creating greater legal certainty. Additionally, depending on parties’ objectives, the ICDR procedures may provide greater flexibility and quicker timelines for awards being made compared with arbitral procedures under the International Chamber of Commerce or under the London Court of International Arbitration.

For more advice to US businesses on cross-border arbitration in Ireland, including how the arbitration process is conducted in Ireland and the enforcement of arbitral awards, please contact Bébhinn Bollard, Ciara Ryan, Karen Quigley, Cormac Mac Diarmada or your usual McCann FitzGerald LLP contact.