A Meeting of the Two Worlds: The Human Rights Regime and International Investment Law – A Critique of Urbaser v. Argentina

Priya Garg* A plethora of cases have been filed before investment tribunals regarding the issue of interaction or conflict between human rights obligations of investor or State and his or its, as the case may be, duties under international investment law (hereinafter, IIL).[1] The recent case of Urbaser v. Argentina only joins this already long… Read More A Meeting of the Two Worlds: The Human Rights Regime and International Investment Law – A Critique of Urbaser v. Argentina

Arbitration in Iran: With Focus on International Commercial Arbitration (Part III)

Nasim Gheidi & Parham Zahedi, Gheidi & Associates (See Part 1 and Part 2 of this post here and here) Iran’s Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) Iran has signed more than 100 BITs (More than 50 of which are in force) with capital-exporting and neighboring countries for the reciprocal promotion and protection of foreign investment in Iran. The purpose behind these… Read More Arbitration in Iran: With Focus on International Commercial Arbitration (Part III)

Iran’s Accession to ICSID: What to Expect?

by Shiva Ghahremani (Konrad & Partners), Amirhossein Tanhaei (CMS) The signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in July 2015 and subsequently the lifting of the sanctions imposed on Iran, reintroduced the Iranian economy to the international trade and investment, leading Iran to return to the commercial mainstream. Just a few days ago, Tehran signed… Read More Iran’s Accession to ICSID: What to Expect?

India’s Federalism and Investment Arbitration

by Sarthak Malhotra* A key area of exposition both in Public International Law and Investment Arbitration is what constitutes an ‘act of state’. The Draft Articles on State Responsibility have been a ground-breaking work in codifying the rules of attribution of responsibility to the states. A related issue in this regard is the attribution of liability… Read More India’s Federalism and Investment Arbitration

The Helping Hand of the MFN for the Intra-EU Bilateral Investment Treaties

Rimantas Daujotas, Motieka & Audzevicius PLP* As it was recently announced, Slovakia has succeeded in referring the legality of intra-EU bilateral investment treaties to the European Court of Justice, as part of its bid to stop Dutch insurer Achmea from enforcing a €22 million UNCITRAL award. In a decision on 3 March 2016, Germany’s Federal Court… Read More The Helping Hand of the MFN for the Intra-EU Bilateral Investment Treaties

ICSID Complaint as Alternative to Supplemental Filing

by Zoltán S. Novák, TaylorWessing We are used to thinking of international investment arbitration as a remedy against unlawful nationalization, expropriation, and other high-profile state acts depriving a foreign investor of his or her investment. It is pretty rare that the unfair treatment the investor complains about is limited to a simple court order requesting… Read More ICSID Complaint as Alternative to Supplemental Filing

Russian Sanctions against Turkey and BIT Claims

by Orçun Çetinkaya, Moroğlu Arseven Following the downing of a Russian jet by Turkey on 24 November 2015, Russian-Turkey relations have entered into a new phase. Russia imposed a series of economic measures and sanctions against Turkey. Turkish individuals and companies who invested in Russia where they spent decades have been negatively affected from those measures. There… Read More Russian Sanctions against Turkey and BIT Claims

The Shortcomings of the Proposal for an “International Court System” (ICS)

by Dr. Nikos Lavranos LLM, Secretary General of EFILA* During 2015 it became clear that the European Commission was under mounting pressure from the European Parliament (EP), Trade Ministers of several EU Member States, anti-ISDS NGOs and the media to propose more “reforms” of the investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) system that is contained in CETA and… Read More The Shortcomings of the Proposal for an “International Court System” (ICS)

Transnational Court of Investment Arbitration

by Duarte G. Henriques, BCH Advocados* In the context of the discussions surrounding the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), much criticism has been raised against ISDS (Investor-State Dispute Settlement). We know now that the European Parliament echoed public complaints and voted against the inclusion of an ISDS mechanism in the TTIP. It further recommended to… Read More Transnational Court of Investment Arbitration

The Greek Sovereign Debt Rescheduling, EU Bail-In and Investment Arbitration

by Prof. Georges Affaki* Many readers of this Blog spent the summer watching the brinkmanship of the Greek national debt third bailout unfold. Few were aware that part of that debt was being bitterly fought in fora other than the European Commission or the Greek Parliament: investment arbitral tribunals. This article reflects on the future… Read More The Greek Sovereign Debt Rescheduling, EU Bail-In and Investment Arbitration