Published on 12 July 2024 in Client Alerts
The article, entitled ‘The Antarctic mining ban could be in danger’, was published on 27 June 2024. It examines the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which suspended competing territorial claims by the UK, Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand and Norway. Due to the southernmost continent’s rich mineral content, countries such as the US, Russia and China have argued that these seven countries should not be the only ones to have territorial rights in the Antarctic.
With new exploration technology being used by Russia and China in the continent, much attention has turned to how the Antarctic Treaty system is neither universally agreed upon nor comprehensive in what it regulates. Countries have until 2048 to resolve this matter. Professor Volterra provides insights on what models States could rely on to agree upon a multinational treaty that will benefit a number of parties.
For more information, please contact info@volterrafietta.com
On 3 August 2025, Algeria adopted Law No. 25‑12 of 3 August 2025 governing mining activities, which was published in the Official Journal No. 52 on 7 August 2025 (“New Mining Law”). The law repeals the previous mining regime established under Law No. 14-05 of 24 February 2014.
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In September 2025, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (“ITLOS”) adopted amendments to its Guidelines concerning the Preparation and Presentation of Cases before the Tribunal (“Guidelines”). The revised text updates the Guidelines that the Tribunal originally adopted in 1997.
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Specialized press reported that on 8 May 2025, the Russian Federation (“Russia”) and the People’s Republic of China (“China”) reportedly signed a bilateral investment treaty “on the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments” (“BIT”), to update and put an end to the 2006 bilateral investment treaty previously signed by the countries (“2006 Agreement”).
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On 24 September 2025, the National Competitive Centre (“NCC”) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“KSA”) published the “Draft of Arbitration Law” (the “Draft Arbitration Law” or the “DAL”), following the Council of Ministers’ June 2025 Resolution, as part of KSA’s efforts to modernise the regulatory framework of arbitration, with the objective of “enhancing perceptions of arbitration in the Kingdom, in a manner that positively reflects on the relevant international indicators”.
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