Investment agreements

Africa, European Union, Investment, Investment agreements, Sustainability

, (Morais Leitão)/ /Leave a comment

Early this year, the European Union (“EU”) finalized the required internal procedures for the entry into force of the Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement concluded between the European Union and the Republic of Angola on 18 November 2022 (“SIFA” or the “Agreement”). This landmark agreement, the EU’s first “sustainable investment facilitation agreement,” could set a precedent…

foreign direct investment, Foreign Investment, Free Trade Agreements, India, Investment, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment law, Investment protection, Investment Treaties, Investor, Investor duties, Investor-State arbitration, ISDS, Protection, State-State Dispute Settlement, State-to-state arbitration

(Jindal Global Law School)/ /Leave a comment

It took 16 years of negotiations for India and the European Free Trade Association (“EFTA”)—comprising Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein—to clinch a free trade agreement (“FTA”). The newly minted FTA is expected to boost the extant levels of trade between the two countries. The formal name of the signed agreement is the Trade and Economic…

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…

Dual Nationals, Interstate arbitral awards, Investment, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, Investment law, Investment protection, Investment Treaties, Investor, Latin America, Venezuela

, (JGTorrealba)/ /Leave a comment

In the case of Santamarta v Venezuela, the dispute involved a dual national of Venezuela and Spain, who filed a claim against Venezuela for allegedly obstructing Santamarta’s pharmaceutical business, including an unlawful confiscation of a manufacturing plant. The arbitration proceedings were conducted in accordance with the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules (1976) on the basis of the…

Corruption, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, Latin America, Peru

, (Rodrigo Elías & Medrano)/ /Leave a comment
Asociación Latinoamericana de Arbitraje (ALARB)

On 1 December 2022, the Tribunal in the Panamericana Television S.A (hereafter, “Pantel” or “Claimant”) v. The Republic of Peru (hereafter, “Peru” or “Respondent”) case issued its Final Award, in which not only did it reject the merits of Pantel’s claims, but it also dismissed, among others, the objection ratione materiae formulated by Peru, based on Articles 2,…

ACICA, Australian Arbitration Week, Investment agreements, Investment protection, Investor-State arbitration

(Errard Legal)/ /Leave a comment
ACICA

A beautiful Perth morning on Thursday, 12 October 2023 saw the convening of the panel – “Resolving Disputes on Major Projects – Lessons Learned from Recent Arbitration Proceedings”. The panel was moderated by Brian Millar of Francis Burt Chambers, and was generously hosted by Herbert Smith Freehills. The panel was conducted under the Chatham House…

Central Asia, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment law, Uzbekistan

(Law Offices of Kiran N Gore PLLC; The George Washington University Law School), (Dentons US LLP), and / /Leave a comment

The Tashkent Law Spring Forum (“Forum”), organized by the Ministry of Justice of Uzbekistan, is an important symbol of Uzbekistan’s efforts to establish itself as an open economy and an important player in global and regional markets. The inaugural forum was held in 2019 and attracted more than 1,200 participants and speakers from all over…

Canada, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, Investment law, Investment Treaties, Mexico, NAFTA, United States, USA, USMCA

(Law Offices of Kiran N Gore PLLC; The George Washington University Law School) and (Australian National University)/ /Leave a comment

On June 30, 2020, an era of international investment law and dispute resolution came to an end as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) concluded its 27-year tenure with the entry into force of United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA). Three years later, a further milestone is now marked: today, Canada, which…

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…

Chile, European Commission, European Union, Investment agreements, ISDS Reform

(King’s College London)/ /Leave a comment

The European Commission has published the Trade and Investment pillar of the Advanced Framework Agreement between the European Union (EU) and Chile (the Agreement), as politically concluded. This seeks to modernise the EU-Chile Association Agreement. Undoubtedly, it represents a success for the EU, as it reinvigorates its trade and investment agenda, particularly in light of…

International Investment Law, International Law, International tribunals, Interpretation, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, VCLT, VCLT Jubilee

, (Permanent Court of Arbitration)/ /Leave a comment

In the last two decades, the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s (PCA) overall docket has seen a rapid growth in mixed arbitrations between States and private parties. Today, over 180 arbitrations are currently pending before PCA tribunals, of which more than 100 are investor-State disputes brought under bilateral and multilateral investment treaties and national investment laws….

China, EU Law, European Union, Investment, Investment agreements, Investment law, Investment protection, Investment Treaties

, , (Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP)/ /Leave a comment

The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), agreed in principle in December 2020, was announced with great fanfare. Forged after seven years of negotiations between the world’s current largest trading block (the EU) and the country expected to have the world’s largest economy by the end of this decade (China), the CAI was set to…

Canada, Investment agreements, Investment Treaties, ISDS Reform, Model BIT

(Woods LLP) and (Law Offices of Kiran N Gore PLLC; The George Washington University Law School)/ /Leave a comment

On May 13, 2021, after several years of public consultations, Global Affairs Canada released a new Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement Model (“2021 Model”). The prior iteration of the FIPA Model was broadly understood to have been influenced by Canada’s experience under the NAFTA regime. Similarly, the 2021 Model benefits from Canada’s continued trade…

Achmea, CJEU, Intra-EU ISDS, Investment agreements

(ESSEC Business School, Paris; Paragon Advocacy)/ /Leave a comment

Many have long feared that the end of intra-EU BIT arbitration brought about by Achmea would soon be followed by the end of contract-based intra-EU ISDS. Although Advocate General (AG) Kokott’s recent Opinion in Case C-109/20 Poland v. PL Holdings allows for a glimmer of hope for non-treaty-based investment disputes, a closer reading of the…

Egypt, International arbitration, Investment agreements, ISDS, Nationality

(Riad & Riad; Cairo University School of Law)/ /1 Comment

Egypt has been trying to control the number of investor-state arbitration disputes which has been steeply increasing since 2011 and the Arab Spring movement (see past discussion on the Blog here). To that end, Egypt created alternative out-of-court forums for amicable settlement of existing arbitration cases and worked toward curbing the eruption of new cases…

foreign direct investment, Investment, Investment agreements, Investment Treaties, Japan, VCLT, WTO

(Nagoya University)/ /Leave a comment
Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA)

The years since 2017 have witnessed a global trend of tightening foreign direct investment (FDI) screening processes. Major economies, including the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the European Union have moved towards stricter FDI rules. In all of these cases, security concerns and, in particular, the need to protect cutting-edge technologies against…

Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Non-Disputing Parties

, / /Leave a comment

On 27 February 2020, Canada availed itself of the opportunity provided by Article 827(2) Canada-Colombia FTA (“FTA”) to make a non-disputing party submission 1)Accessing the link requires a subscription.(“NDPS”) in Eco Oro Minerals v Colombia. The case concerns issues arising out of a mining restriction imposed to establish an environmental conservation zone. It was initiated…

Investment agreements, Investment Treaties, Reform, State-State Dispute Settlement, State-to-state arbitration, Trade and investment agreements, Trans-Pacific Partnership, USMCA

(Australian National University) and (Law Offices of Kiran N Gore PLLC; The George Washington University Law School)/ /Leave a comment

Throughout this week, our contributors from around the globe have offered insights into the USMCA/CUSMA/T-MEC, which enters into force next week. Our contributors have contextualised USMCA against both regional and global developments. Many of them noted the link between USMCA and NAFTA, between USMCA and regional politics, and between USMCA and broader global trends related…

Financial Services Arbitration, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment law, NAFTA, Trade and investment agreements, USMCA

(Clark Hill PLC)/ /Leave a comment

As North America embarks into a post-NAFTA era with the USMCA, it is crucial to analyze the new agreement’s disciplines. The USMCA Investment Chapter, for instance, has been the subject of many articles that have reviewed relevant differences with respect to NAFTA, particularly on investment arbitration. This post will explore the arbitration rules applicable to investment disputes…

Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment protection, Investment Treaties, United States, USMCA

(Jenner & Block LLP)/ /Leave a comment

The Investment Chapter of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement “USMCA,” Chapter 14 has had a controversial trajectory.  Chapter 14 reflects a remarkable evolution in United States (“U.S.”) policy on the protection of its investors and their investments in Canada and Mexico.  It is remarkable because – from 2023 – it will limit the scope of protected…

Canada, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment law, USMCA

(De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek) and (Three Crowns LLP)/ /Leave a comment

Amid global economic uncertainty, the years-long project of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”) (also known as “the new-NAFTA” or “NAFTA 2.0”) has finally reached fruition. On March 13, 2020, Canada became the final North American party to ratify the agreement and now the treaty will enter into force on July 1, 2020. Kluwer Arbitration Blog has…

Canada, International agreement, International arbitration, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment protection, Investment Treaties, Mexico, NAFTA, United States, USMCA

(Law Offices of Kiran N Gore PLLC; The George Washington University Law School) and (Australian National University)/ /Leave a comment

On July 1, 2020, the United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA) will enter into force. Although the media widely refers to the treaty by its American name, USMCA, it also carries two other names: Canada has adopted it as the Canada – United States – Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), while Mexico has settled on…

Arbitration, India, Investment agreements, Investment law, Investment Treaties, Reform

and (Columbia Law School)/ /Leave a comment

On 25 January 2020, India and Brazil signed an investment agreement  (the “India-Brazil BIT”). As an agreement that has been signed at the dawn of the new decade, it is symbolic for a few reasons. First, it is a south-south agreement between two large and growing economies. Second, it abandons investor-state arbitration in favor of…

2019 In Review, Corporate Social Responsibility, Human Rights, Investment agreements

(Georgetown Law)/ /1 Comment

Several developments in 2019 highlighted the increased presence of human rights considerations in international investment law. As described by our contributors, however, tensions persist. The 2019 Netherlands Model Agreement, released in March, represented a notably progressive approach to reflecting human rights considerations in foreign investment, as explained by our contributors. This development builds on related…