The Proposed New Investment Court System for TTIP: The Right Way Forward?

by Mirjam van de Hel-Koedoot, NautaDutilh*   On 16 September 2015, the European Commission published a draft text for the investment chapter in the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and the US. In the Proposal, the European Commission specifically mentions that the Proposal is an internal document of the EU… Read More The Proposed New Investment Court System for TTIP: The Right Way Forward?

Is ISDS Superior to Litigation before Domestic Courts? An EU View

by Prof. Marco Bronckers, VVGB Advocaten* In my view, something important is missing in the current debate on an Investor-State Dispute Settlement Mechanism (ISDS) in the EU’s new and comprehensive trade agreements with Canada (CETA), Singapore, the United States (TTIP), and other countries. In a ‘concept paper’ published last May, the European Commission posits as… Read More Is ISDS Superior to Litigation before Domestic Courts? An EU View

Protecting International Commercial Arbitration in Europe

by Chris Wilford, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators* The current highly politicised debate surrounding the inclusion of investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which allows investors to bring claims against a State before an international arbitral tribunal, has brought arbitration into the spotlight. While ISDS is a special form of… Read More Protecting International Commercial Arbitration in Europe

Before the Other Shoe Drops: The Current State of Renewable Energy Arbitration in Spain

by Clifford J. Hendel, Araoz & Rueda Abogados Until three or four years ago, both the Energy Charter Treaty in general and arbitration based on it were essentially unknown in Spain. Investment arbitration itself was a rarified specialty, known only to a handful of intrepid companies and a small cadre of advisors. The experience of the… Read More Before the Other Shoe Drops: The Current State of Renewable Energy Arbitration in Spain

Updated OECD Policy Framework for Investment Supports Green Investment Arbitration

by Orçun Çetinkaya, Moroğlu Arseven In June 2015, the OECD shared an updated Policy Framework for Investment (“PFI”) with the international community. The OECD aims to continue contributing to the international investment landscape by guiding investors and governments, while supporting dialogue between these parties and promoting sustainable development. The PFI’s main objective is to establish cooperation and… Read More Updated OECD Policy Framework for Investment Supports Green Investment Arbitration

Beyond the Blockade: Law and Politics in the Investment Law Debate (A Further Reply)

by Horia Ciurtin LL.M., Managing Editor of the EFILA Blog* This post represents a counter-reply to Emanuela Matei’s material “Defining International Investment Law for the 21st Century (A Reply)”, published on the EFILA Blog on 11th September. Prologue: Antagonism and Agonism There is no doubt that false dichotomies and sophistically (a)moral choices between two imagined evils… Read More Beyond the Blockade: Law and Politics in the Investment Law Debate (A Further Reply)

Defining International Investment Law for the 21st Century (A Reply)

by Emanuela Matei, Of Counsel – Mircea and Partners* This post represents a reply to Horia Ciurtin’s material “The Future of Investment Treaties: Metamorphosis or Deconstruction?”, published on the EFILA Blog on 8th September. Another reply will follow from Horia Ciurtin in the following weeks. Of Two Evils Choose Neither We are living in a… Read More Defining International Investment Law for the 21st Century (A Reply)

The Future of Investment Treaties: Metamorphosis or Deconstruction?

by Horia Ciurtin LL.M, Managing Editor of the EFILA Blog* Traditionally, the sole subjects of public international law are sovereign states. Therefore, in the Westphalian system, only statal political entities are able to assume obligations and benefit from certain rights at an international level. As a consequence, under this classical approach, only such actors can initiate… Read More The Future of Investment Treaties: Metamorphosis or Deconstruction?

The Rule of Law as the Common Foundation of EU Law and International Investment Law

by Dr. Nikos Lavranos LLM, Secretary General of EFILA* Ever since the EU started to get into international investment law by developing its own investment policy through the negotiation of several international investment agreements (IIAs), such as CETA, TTIP, EU-Japan, EU-Singapore, and the adoption of two EU Regulations (Regulation 1219/2012 and 912/2014), the relationship between… Read More The Rule of Law as the Common Foundation of EU Law and International Investment Law