1. The Arbitral Tribunal shall decide on any plea to the jurisdiction, including the plea claiming the non-existence or the invalidity of the Arbitration Agreement, or that it does not cover the subject matter of the dispute. The Arbitral Tribunal may decide on the same either in a preliminary decision or in the final arbitral award issued on the subject matter of the dispute. 2. If the Arbitral Tribunal decides in a preliminary decision that it is competent, any of the parties may, within thirty (15) days from the date of being aware of that decision, request the court to rule on that matter. The court shall decide on the request within (30) thirty days from the date of its submission at the court, and its decision shall not be subject to appeal by any means. The arbitral proceedings shall be suspended until the court decides on the request unless the Arbitral Tribunal decides to continue with the proceedings at the request of one of the parties. 3. The party requesting continuation of the arbitral proceedings shall bear the costs of arbitration if the court adjudicates that the Arbitral Tribunal has no jurisdiction.
Interpretation and application must be checked against the official text and current version.