Investment Arbitration

Africa, Arbitration, Djibouti, ICSID, ICSID Arbitration, ICSID Convention, ICSID Procedure, International arbitration, Investment Arbitration

(University of Arkansas School of Law)/ /1 Comment

On April 12, 2019, the Republic of Djibouti (“Djibouti”) signed the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (“ICSID Convention” or “Convention”). To date, the Convention has been signed by 163 countries and ratified by 154 countries. Why is Djibouti signing the ICSID Convention at a time when…

Arbitration, Arbitration Proceedings, Environment, ICSID, International arbitration, Investment Arbitration

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The CERSA (CNRS, University Paris II Panthéon-Assas) organized its fourth event in a series of seminars on selected topics in international investment law and ISDS. On 28 March 2019, a distinguished panel of practitioners and academics gathered in Paris to exchange views on ‘Environmental Considerations in Investment Arbitration’. The discussion was moderated by Catharine Titi…

Achmea, Arbitration, Arbitration Proceedings, BIT, Investment Arbitration, LIDW 2019, London

(Chartered Institute of Arbitrators)/ /Leave a comment

The session on International Investment Disputes of the LIDW 2019 was divided in three panels discussing the hot topics in investment law and the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) system: investment protection post-Achmea, interim measures, security for costs, emergency arbitration procedures, and transparency in investment arbitration, as well as the wider issue of ISDS reform. The…

Central Asia, Damages, Investment Arbitration, Investor-State arbitration, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, quantum, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan

(Berkeley Research Group)/ /Leave a comment

Despite the variety of investment treaty disputes involving assets in the Post-Soviet jurisdictions in Central Asia, assessment of damages in each particular case is often heavily debated by the parties, experts and tribunals. In many instances, selecting an appropriate valuation method is the cornerstone of the tribunal’s decision-making on damages. This article provides an overview…

Investment, Investment Arbitration, Investment protection, Investment Treaties, Investor-State arbitration, ISDS Reform, UNCITRAL

(Stockholm University) and / /Leave a comment

Reform of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) system has become the focus of various initiatives of different international organizations and groups in the past years. Currently, there are various developments taking place at various levels of the ISDS system. For example, (i) the new generation of international investment treaties—in particular, the new Free Trade Agreements signed…

Australia, BIT, Indonesia, Investment, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment law, Investment protection, Investment Treaties, Investor, ISDS, ISDS Reform

(TSMP Law Corporation)/ /Leave a comment

The signing of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (“IACEPA“) on 4 March 2019 marked an important milestone for both States (as covered in a post earlier this week). Given that both Indonesia and Australia have their reservations on investor-state dispute settlement (“ISDS“) processes, it is interesting to see that the IACEPA contains a chapter…

Attribution, Australia, BIT, Indonesia, Investment, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment law, Investment protection, Investment Treaties, ISDS, ISDS Reform

(Australian National University)/ /3 Comments

Last month, Australia and Indonesia signed the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (‘IA-CEPA’), containing in Chapter 14 provisions related to the protection of foreign investments. Negotiations of an IA-CEPA were initially announced in 2010, and formally began in September 2012. The negotiations were thereafter suspended, but relaunched in March 2016. Signature and ratification of the…

Corruption, Evidence, Investment Arbitration, Investment law

(Dechert) and / /Leave a comment

The conference “What to Do About Corruption Allegations? Debating the Options for Investment Law”, was presented by the ILA American Branch Investment Law Committee and the Georgetown International Arbitration Society, and hosted at Dechert LLP’s Washington D.C. office on 19 February 2019. The conference was dedicated to an in-depth exploration of the proof required for…

foreign direct investment, Investment, Investment Arbitration, Investment law, Investment protection, OECD

(Columbia Law School)/ /Leave a comment

The OECD Secretariat launched, in 2018, a “FDI qualities project”. Its objective is to provide governments with a tool kit to attract investment that contributes as much as possible to sustainable development. For that purpose, the project has identified five clusters of “FDI qualities indicators”: productivity-innovation, skills, job quality, gender, and carbon footprint. These indicators…

Investment Arbitration, Tribunal Secretary, Tribunal's assistant

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Most investment treaties do not expressly provide for the appointment of assistants or secretaries to the arbitral tribunal. It is an institutional practice that has been subsequently codified by several arbitral institutions, while some institutions are still silent on the subject. Despite the significant attempts being made, the apprehension that arbitral secretaries may overstep their…

Enforcement, India, Investment Arbitration

(National Law School of India University)/ /3 Comments

Introduction The Delhi High Court’s recent judgment in Union of India v. Khaitan Holdings (Mauritius) marks the third instance of an Indian court adjudicating upon issues related to arbitration under an international investment treaty. Within these three judgments, courts have fundamentally disagreed on a crucial point – the applicability of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act,…

Hong Kong, Investment Arbitration, Investment protection, Investment Treaties, Investor, Investor-State arbitration, ISDS, ISDS Reform

(Herbert Smith Freehills LLP)/ /Leave a comment
Herbert Smith Freehills

The year of the pig was off to a good start in Hong Kong at the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Reform Conference organised by the Hong Kong Department of Justice and the Asian Academy of International Law on 13 February 2019. Like the fabled pig, ISDS reform has been slow in coming, and the aim…

BAC, China, CIETAC, CIETAC Investment Arbitration Rules, ICSID Arbitration, ICSID Convention, Investment Arbitration, SIAC Investment Arbitration Rules, UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, UNCITRAL Transparency Rules

(Erasmus University Rotterdam)/ /Leave a comment

Overview On 11 February 2019, Beijing Arbitration Commission/Beijing International Arbitration Center (‘BAC/BIAC’) launched its draft of ‘Beijing Arbitration Commission/Beijing International Arbitration Center International Investment Arbitration Rules’ (the ‘BAC Rules’) for public comments, comprised of its main text and six appendixes. The BAC Rules are the second investment arbitration rules promulgated by a Chinese international arbitration…

Achmea, CJEU, European Law, International Investment Arbitration, International Law, Intra-EU BITs, Investment, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment law, Investment protection, Investment Treaties, ISDS

(Concepción Global, PLLC, Universidad Complutense de Madrid)/ /Leave a comment

The CERSA (CNRS- University Paris II Panthéon-Assas) organized its third event in a series of seminars on selected topics in international investment law and investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) (for the report of the first seminar, see here). The seminar on Topical issues in ISDS: EU Investment Law was held in Paris on 7 February 2019…

Investment, Investment Arbitration, Investment protection, Investor-State arbitration, ISDS, ISDS Reform

(Chartered Institute of Arbitrators)/ /Leave a comment
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)

At the heart of the debate surrounding Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Reform is UNCITRAL Working Group (WG) III.  Until two years ago, WG III was dedicated to discussing issues surrounding online dispute resolution.  But in 2017, in response to several significant awards against states in investment arbitration and corresponding public outcry, the WG III was…

Arbitration, BIT, International arbitration, Investment Arbitration, ISDS, ISDS Reform, Multilateral Investment Court

, (Hanotiau & van den Berg)/ /Leave a comment

On 22 November 2018, the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation hosted a High Level Event on the Reform of Investment Protection. Distinguished panellists from arbitral institutions, international organisations, academia, civil society, arbitration users and legal practitioners presented diverse views on the need for reform of the system of investor-State dispute…

Arbitration Awards, arbitrator-party relationship, Arbitrators, Challenge of Arbitral Award, ICSID Proceedings, Investment Arbitration

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Introduction On 14 December 2018, an ICSID committee issued a decision on annulment of the award of Suez, Sociedad General de Aguas de Barcelona S.A., and InterAguas Servicios Integrales del Agua S.A. v. The Argentine Republic, ICSID Case No. ARB/03/17 (“Suez 03/17”) in which it declined to uphold the application for annulment from Argentina. This…

Africa, Arbitration, Arbitration Proceedings, Arbitrators, ICSID, Investment Arbitration

(Reed Smith)/ /Leave a comment
AfricArb

Foreign Direct Investment into Africa has increased from $10 billion in 19991)UNCTAD, World Investment Report (2000), p. 40. to $41,8 billion in 2017.2)UNCTAD, World Investment Report (2018), p. 38. Makhtar Diop, former World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region, pointed out that “Intra-African investment is also on the rise, creating a virtuous circle”.3)M. Diop,…

CIETAC, HKIAC, HKIAC Rules, Hong Kong, Investment Arbitration, Singapore, Third party funding

(Fangda Partners)/ /1 Comment
HK45

As an arbitration hub, Hong Kong has an enviable pedigree. The territory boasts a modern workable arbitration law, robust legal system, and a cohesive arbitration community. It is routinely ranked highly in indices of economic freedom; judicial independence; and perceived arbitration friendliness. In the Year of the Dog, Hong Kong’s authorities and institutions have continued…

Arbitration, Arbitration Agreements, Arbitration Industry, Arbitration Institutions and Rules, Investment Arbitration

(Bird & Bird)/ /Leave a comment

Over the last couple of decades, arbitration, its practical aspects, but also its very notion, have faced severe attacks from a variety of critics: politicians, members of civil society, users, etc. While arbitration practitioners are actively tackling many areas of reform, the majority of these denunciations appear, for the most part, biased and overly simplistic….

Corruption, ICSID Arbitration, Investment, Investment Arbitration, Investment law, Investment protection, Investor, Investor-State arbitration

, , (Winston & Strawn LLP) and (Rivero Mestre LLP)/ /3 Comments

In recent years, a number of arbitral tribunals adjudicating treaty-based investment disputes have been confronted with the question of what to do when the state party to such a dispute alleges that the investors acquired the investment through corrupt means. In some instances, tribunals have applied the defense as a jurisdictional bar, preventing the investors…

2018 In Review, Arbitration, Australia, Investment Arbitration, Investment Treaties, ISDS, ISDS Reform, New Zealand

(Australian National University)/ /Leave a comment

Last year was a busy one for arbitration practitioners in Australia and New Zealand, and 2019 looks set to be even busier. In 2018, both countries initiated a range of arbitration reforms, initiatives and negotiations which give insights into the likely general direction of travel for both countries in the coming year. This post focusses…

Investment, Investment Arbitration, MENA, Middle East, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Qatar

(DWF (Middle East) LLP)/ /Leave a comment
Young ITA

Young ITA has organised over fifteen successful events this year all over the world including in Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires, Guatemala City, Miami, Washington DC, New York City, London, and India. The first Dubai Young ITA talk took place on Wednesday 5 December 2018. The event hosted by Vinson & Elkins featured two panel discussions…

2018 In Review, Achmea, Europe, European Commission, International Investment Arbitration, Intra-EU BITs, Investment, Investment Arbitration, Investment protection, ISDS Reform

(Colibra Insurance)/ /Leave a comment

Very rarely would a single arbitration-related decision produce as significant an impact as the judgment of the Court of Justice of European Union (“EU” and “CJEU” respectively) in the Achmea case did during 2018. We should not doubt that Achmea will remain a cornerstone issue in the world of arbitration for a long period of…