Conflicts Between International Climate Law and Investment Arbitration: A proposed exception to the full reparation standard without moving the goalposts

By Claudia Wortmann[1] State Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (‘UNFCCC’) and the 2015 Paris Agreement are obliged to take steps to mitigate climate change. Such steps include achieving an urgent energy transition away from fossil fuels toward more renewable, ‘green’ energy. However, one of the issues that arises in the… Read More Conflicts Between International Climate Law and Investment Arbitration: A proposed exception to the full reparation standard without moving the goalposts

Report on the 10th Annual EFILA Lecture Delivered by Martina Polasek of ICSID: Reflections on the Past and Future Significance of ICSID’s First 1000 Cases

By Hugo Cardona[1] Introduction The 10th Annual EFILA Lecture, held on 25 November 2024 at Queen Mary University of London, represented a significant milestone in EFILA’s series of successful academic events. It provided a forum for an insightful analysis of the evolving landscape of ICSID arbitration. The lecture was delivered by Martina Polasek, who assumed… Read More Report on the 10th Annual EFILA Lecture Delivered by Martina Polasek of ICSID: Reflections on the Past and Future Significance of ICSID’s First 1000 Cases

Data as Protected Investment in the Background of Einarsson v. Canada

by Ioana Bratu and Arijit Sanyal[1] As explored in our article “Data as Protected Investment in the Background of Einarsson v. Canada” (IJAL 12:2 2024), on which this post is based: data is increasingly recognised as a significant asset in international investment arbitration. The pending Einarsson v. Canada case[2] addresses the question of whether seismic… Read More Data as Protected Investment in the Background of Einarsson v. Canada

Saving the Modernized Energy Charter Treaty Helps Save the Climate

by Prof. Nikos Lavranos[1] In June 2022, an agreement “in principle” was achieved among all Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) contracting parties (including the European Union (EU) and all of its Member States) on the modernized ECT text. Withdrawal of the EU and EU Member States from the ECT Despite this agreement “in principle” several EU… Read More Saving the Modernized Energy Charter Treaty Helps Save the Climate

ISDS Reform: Consensus on the Advisory Centre and First Roadblocks on Establishing a Standing Mechanism

By Cristian Gallorini[1] The 48th session of the UNCITRAL Working Group III (Investor State Arbitration) took place in New York from 1 to 5 April 2024. The discussion focused on the draft statute of an advisory centre on international investment dispute resolution (A/CN.9/WG.III/WP.238), and the draft statute of a standing mechanism for the resolution of… Read More ISDS Reform: Consensus on the Advisory Centre and First Roadblocks on Establishing a Standing Mechanism

Germany’s Highest Civil Court Reinforces the Distinction Between Intra-EU and Extra-EU Arbitration

by Agata Daszko[1] In a recently surfaced judgment (I ZB 12/23), the German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) has affirmed the partial enforcement of the Deutsche Telekom v. India UNCITRAL award, clarifying the boundaries of European Union law in relation to extra-EU investment treaty arbitrations. This ruling, dated 12 October 2023, addresses the interplay… Read More Germany’s Highest Civil Court Reinforces the Distinction Between Intra-EU and Extra-EU Arbitration

A Metamorphosis of Mindset: How International Investment Arbitration Has Evolved Without Major Institutional Reform

By Paul Uranga[1] Introduction “As [the investment arbitration] awoke one morning from uneasy dreams [it] found itself transformed”. Drawing from the opening line of Franz Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis’, this echoes the transformation undergone in investment arbitration. But, unlike Gregor Samsa, the novella’s protagonist, this shift didn’t occur overnight and remains far from complete. After more… Read More A Metamorphosis of Mindset: How International Investment Arbitration Has Evolved Without Major Institutional Reform

Is Portugal’s Huawei Ban Compatible with its Investment Treaty Obligations?

by Pacôme Ziegler [1] States walk a tightrope when the protection of the general interest requires encroaching upon private interests, as it often does. Should they fail in this balancing act, effective redress may be available to aggrieved private investors under the applicable investment treaty. Investors do not hesitate to avail themselves of this avenue… Read More Is Portugal’s Huawei Ban Compatible with its Investment Treaty Obligations?