International Investment Arbitration

Achmea, EU Law, German Federal Constitutional Court, International Investment Arbitration, International Investment Law, Intra-EU BITs, Intra-EU Investment Arbitration, Intra-EU ISDS, Investment Arbitration, ISDS

(Schellenberg Wittmer)/ /Leave a comment

On March 6, 2018, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) delivered its (in)famous Achmea judgment (Case C-284/16), which subsequently became synonymous with the demise of investor-state arbitration in bilateral investment treaties between Member States of the European Union (“intra-EU BITs”). In this decision, the CJEU concluded that investor-state arbitration clauses in intra-EU…

Constitutional Court, Ecuador, ICSID Arbitration, International arbitration, International Investment Arbitration, Investment Arbitration, Investor-State arbitration, ISDS, Latin America, Trade and investment agreements

, , (Tadir Dispute Resolution)/ /1 Comment

The Ecuadorian government held a referendum and a public consultation on 21 April 2024. Question D of the referendum asked citizens: “Do you agree that the Ecuadorian State recognizes international arbitration as a method to resolve disputes related to investment, contractual, or commercial matters?” (free translation). The substantive proposal of the question was merely based…

Canada, CETA, Europe, European Commission, European Union, Expedited arbitration, Expedited Proceedings, Expropriation, Fair and Equitable Treatment, FET, International Investment Arbitration, International Investment Law, Investment, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, Investment law, Investment protection, Investment Treaties, Investor-State arbitration, ISDS

(Clifford Chance)/ /Leave a comment

Although parts of CETA have been provisionally applied since 21 September 2017, the parts not subject to provisional application – including the investment chapter (CETA’s Chapter Eight) which covers investment protection and dispute resolution – are still pending domestic ratification procedures in 10 EU Member States. In parallel, CETA’s framework for investment protection and dispute…

Environment, Environmental protection, European Convention on Human Rights, European Court of Human Rights, International Arbitration Procedures, International dispute resolution, International Investment Arbitration, International Investment Law, International Law, Switzerland

, (Shearman & Sterling)/ /Leave a comment

On April 9, 2024, the European Court of Human Rights (“Court” or “ECtHR”) delivered its highly anticipated ruling in Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland (“KlimaSeniorinnen”), holding that Switzerland had breached the European Convention on Human Rights (“Convention” or “ECHR”) by taking inadequate action on climate change. Two other climate-related cases that were decided the…

Achmea, Arbitration Awards, Enforcement, International Investment Arbitration, Legitimacy, Paris Arbitration Week

, (Laborde Law)/ /Leave a comment

As part of Day 1 of Paris Arbitration Week (“PAW”), Laborde Law held its first PAW event of the week at the Hotel Plaza Athénée, which included two panels addressing issues related to investor-State Dispute Settlement (“ISDS”). The first panel discussed “ISDS Enforcement War Stories and Lessons”, and the topic of the second panel was…

2023 in Review, ECT Withdrawal, Energy Charter Treaty, ESG, ICJ, International Investment Arbitration, International tribunals

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In 2023, investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) reform has been influenced by growing concerns over climate change and state responsibility. This global shift is reflected in numerous requests for advisory opinions from international courts, aiming to clarify states’ obligations regarding climate change (see here, here, and here). These developments suggest a move towards a more balanced…

Corporate Social Responsibility, ESG, International Investment Arbitration, Investor duties

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The growing antagonism in civil society and the asymmetries in international investment agreements (IIA) lead to a cautious proliferation of enforceable obligations against investors (investor obligations) in several newer IIAs (e.g. Chapter 6-10 of ECOWAS Common Investment Code 2018; Art. 10 and Annex II of Angola-Brazil Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) 2015; and for an overview…

Damages, International Investment Arbitration, Investor-State arbitration, ISDS, UNCITRAL

(Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law)/ /Leave a comment

Readers with antennas tuned to the happenings of the reform process for investor-State dispute settlement at UNCITRAL will know that the topics of damages and causation are on the agenda.  Indeed, at the last sessional meeting of Working Group III, draft provisions on damages and causation were discussed.  These provisions might find their way into…

BIT, Colombia, International dispute resolution, International Investment Arbitration, International Investment Law, Investment agreements, Investment protection, Latin America, Venezuela

(Sciences Po Law School - Paris)/ /Leave a comment

On 3 February 2023, Colombia and Venezuela entered into an Agreement for the Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investments (“Treaty”), with the objective of “incrementing the flow of transborder direct investment.” Both states are still to complete the ratification procedure for the Treaty to enter into force. This is an interesting development, especially considering the…

International Investment Arbitration, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, Paris Arbitration Week

, , , (Laborde Law)/ /1 Comment

As part of Day 1 of the 2023 Paris Arbitration Week (PAW), Laborde Law and Honlet Legum organised a discussion between Meg Kinnear (ICSID, Secretary General), Toby Landau KC (Duxton Hill Chambers), and Prof. Alain Pellet (Paris X University) on “The Future of Investment Arbitration?”. The event was moderated by Gustavo Laborde (Laborde Law), Jean-Christophe…

2022 in Review, Arbitration, International Investment Arbitration, International Investment Law, Ukraine

(Visiting Lawyer at Linklaters)/ /Leave a comment

2022 was undoubtedly the most challenging year in the history of independent Ukraine. The international implications of Russia’s war against Ukraine, including economic sanctions and global energy and food crises, have been felt even in the most remote corners of the globe. Unsurprisingly, the war also stalled the majority of investment arbitrations involving Ukraine, affecting…

Attribution, International Court of Justice, International Investment Arbitration, Public international law, State Responsibility, State Responsibility for Damage, Treaty Interpretation, VCLT, Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, Washington Arbitration Week

(PDGB), (Concepción Global, PLLC, Universidad Complutense de Madrid), , and (Xtrategy LLP)/ /Leave a comment

On 30th of November 2022, Washington Arbitration Week 2022 continued with several panels held in hybrid format. This post presents some highlights of the panel titled ‘The Influence of Public International Law in Investment Arbitration,’ which featured as moderator Mr. Lee M. Caplan (Arent Fox) and as panelists Prof. Dr. Yannick Radi (UC Louvain), Ms….

International Investment Arbitration, International Investment Law, International Law, Space Arbitration, Washington Arbitration Week

(Space Arbitration Association; Gide Loyrette Nouel)/ /Leave a comment

The third edition of the Washington Arbitration Week (WAW), founded by Ian Laird (Crowell) and Jose Antonio Rivas (Xtrategy), took place in a hybrid format from November 28 to December 2, 2022 and included 15 panels. On December 1, 2022, the conference held a discussion on the topic of international investment protection of space assets….

ICSID, International Investment Arbitration, Recognition and enforcement of arbitral award, Ukraine

(Genesis) and (Sayenko Kharenko)/ /1 Comment

Despite the ongoing Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine and constant terror, Ukrainian courts continue to function and deliver justice. Recently, the Supreme Court has adopted a landmark judgment regarding the enforcement of ICSID awards in Ukraine, which is set to change judicial practice going forward. Our colleagues previously highlighted the deficiencies of the Ukrainian court…

International Humanitarian Law, International Investment Arbitration, International Investment Law, Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties

(Asian International Arbitration Centre)/ /Leave a comment
Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC)

On Thursday, 6th October 2022, the Asian International Arbitration Centre (“AIAC”) kickstarted its first-ever hybrid Asia ADR Week conference, themed Compassus: The Odyssean Course to the Modern ADR with a session titled Here Comes Sparta – The Impact of Armed Conflicts on International Arbitrations. The insightful discussion was moderated by Dr Ana Maria Daza-Clark (University…

Fair and Equitable Treatment, International Investment Arbitration, International Investment Law, International Law, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, Investment law, Investment protection, Minimum Standard of Treatment

, (Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP) and (Hughes Hubbard LLP)/ /Leave a comment

FET is often described as the core standard of international investment law.  Recently, there has been renewed discussion on its intended meaning, by reference to a range of source materials that arguably reflect States’ intentions at the time of concluding investment treaties.  On December 10, 2021, the Dispute Resolution Interest Group of the American Society…

Additional Facility Rules, ICSID, International Investment Arbitration, Jurisdiction, Most Favoured Nation (MFN)

(Coz & Blavi)/ /Leave a comment

Introduction On November 2021, an Arbitral Tribunal issued the award in an investment arbitration case commenced by three subsidiaries of Kimberly-Clark against Venezuela. The claims where brought under the BITs between Venezuela and the Netherlands (Dutch BIT), Venezuela and Spain (Spanish BIT), and Venezuela and Belgium (Belgium BIT). The award, which is highly case-specific, established…

Corruption, Environment, ESG, International Investment Arbitration, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, Investment law, Investor-State arbitration, Renewable energy, YSIAC Conference

(Oon & Bazul LLP)/ /Leave a comment
YSIAC

Earlier this week, the YSIAC Conference 2021 took place virtually for the first time since its inception. The opening webinar was a panel discussion titled “Resolving ESG Disputes Through International Arbitration”, which agenda was to analyse the disputes in the buzzing environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) domain, distil the trends and lessons learnt therefrom, and…

Australia, Enforcement, ICSID, ICSID Convention, International Investment Arbitration, Sovereign Immunity, State Immunity, UK

, , (Clayton Utz)/ /Leave a comment

The International Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID Convention) contains two provisions regulating compliance with arbitral awards. Article 53(1) provides that an award shall be binding on the parties. Article 54(1) requires each contracting State to recognise an ICSID award as binding. In this regard, it is common for parties to comply with…

Consent, Ecuador, ICSID Convention, International Investment Arbitration, Ratification

(Herbert Smith Freehills) and (Herbert Smith Frehills)/ /Leave a comment

On June 21, 2021, Ecuador’s Ambassador to the United States, Ivonne Juez Abuchacra de Baki, signed the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (the “ICSID Convention“) on behalf of the Republic of Ecuador (“Ecuador“).  With Ecuador, the number of signatory States to the ICSID Convention is now…

CJEU, Energy Charter Treaty, International arbitration, International Investment Arbitration, Intra-EU BITs, Intra-EU Investment Arbitration, Investment Arbitration

(European Institute, London School of Economics)/ /Leave a comment

Intra-EU investment agreements and arbitration have been a highly divisive issue in European policy circles for decades. The European Commission has been forcefully pushing for the termination of these agreements since the early 2000s. It criticised inter alia that intra-EU investment agreements and arbitration undermine the European legal order and create inequality among European investors…

2020 In Review, Appellate Court, Burden of proof, Colombia, Corruption, Dominican Republic, International Investment Arbitration, Interpretation, Latin America, Lava Jato, Mexico, Odebrecht investigation, Peru, USMCA, Venezuela

(Locke Lord LLP)/ /Leave a comment

In 2020, we witnessed a number of interesting developments in the field of investment arbitration in Latin America. From the entry into force of the United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA) signed over a year ago, as well as numerous cases and actions still arising from the Odebrecht scandal that became public back…

International Investment Arbitration, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, Investment law, Investment protection, Investment Treaties, Investor-State arbitration, ISDS, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, WTO

(National University of Singapore) and (City University of Hong Kong/ UMBRA Strategic Legal Solutions)/ /1 Comment

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was signed by its 15 Parties (after India, an initial negotiating party, withdrew from negotiations) on 15 November 2020.1)This article represents the authors’ personal opinions and does not represent the opinion of their respective organisations. The signature of this agreement amid the COVID-19 pandemic has made quite a headline…

Banking and Finance, Financial Industry, Human Rights, International Investment Arbitration, International Investment Law, International Law, International Law Weekend

(Dechert) and (Dentons US LLP)/ /Leave a comment

The 99th Annual Meeting of the American Branch of the International Law Association (“ILA (American Branch)”), known as International Law Weekend (“ILW”), took place virtually this year in New York City on 22-24 October 2020.  This year’s conference included 27 panels, as well as an Opening Plenary Panel, a United Nations 75th Anniversary Plenary Panel, and numerous…