Redefining the ‘Centre’: International Economic Law and Grand Strategy in a Multipolar World

by Horia Ciurtin LL.M., Managing Editor of the EFILA Blog* (Legal) Multipolarity Revisited: What Lies Beyond Westphalia? This brief introduction to such an ambitious thematic must undoubtedly commence by positing its adherence to the (non-legal) core concept of ‘grand strategy’ and its realist avatars in international economic law. More precisely, it shall be argued that –… Read More Redefining the ‘Centre’: International Economic Law and Grand Strategy in a Multipolar World

Right to Regulation & Investment Court System: Alternative to ISDS? (Part II) – Mediation in Investor-State Dispute: An Option 

 Pratyush Nath Upreti*, Upreti & Associates In my previous contribution to the EFILA blog, titled Right to Regulation & Investment Court System: Alternative to ISDS?, I analyzed the debate raised by the ISDS provision in TTIP and how the proposed Investment Court may not be able to solve the issues raised by ISDS. It is important… Read More Right to Regulation & Investment Court System: Alternative to ISDS? (Part II) – Mediation in Investor-State Dispute: An Option 

When Public Interests, State Strategy, and International Law Clash in One Confidential Commercial Arbitration

Ira Ryk-Lakhman* Much ink has been spilt throughout the years on States’ and the public interest’s role in international commercial arbitration. These issues are of particular importance where the litigants in a given arbitration come from neighboring – and not necessarily allied – states, and even more so when the particular neighborhood in question is… Read More When Public Interests, State Strategy, and International Law Clash in One Confidential Commercial Arbitration

Call for Papers: Bucerius Law Journal Conference on International Investment Law & Arbitration

Supported by Neil Kaplan and Doak Bishop In collaboration with Neil Kaplan QC CBE and R. Doak Bishop, the Bucerius Law Journal is proud to announce its first conference on International Investment Law & Arbitration. The conference will take place in the facilities of the Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany on 22nd and 23rd April… Read More Call for Papers: Bucerius Law Journal Conference on International Investment Law & Arbitration

AIA and EFILA Event: Seminar on Arbitration and EU Law

Seminar on Arbitration and EU Law – 7th April 2016, Brussels, Belgium   EVENT CO-ORGANIZED WITH THE EUROPEAN FEDERATION FOR INVESTMENT LAW AND ARBITRATION (EFILA)   Over the years, there has been increasing EU activity in private international law. The interaction and relationship of EU law and international commercial arbitration has had growing interest over the years. In… Read More AIA and EFILA Event: Seminar on Arbitration and EU Law

ISDS in TPP and TTIP Negotiations – Lessons for the EU

by Prof. Loukas Mistelis, QMUL* The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and, in particular, its Investor-State Dispute Settlement provisions (ISDS) have been the focal point of an intense and polarising debate within the EU. Opponents of TTIP, on the one hand, reject the very idea of a new multilateral trade and investment agreement and… Read More ISDS in TPP and TTIP Negotiations – Lessons for the EU

EFILA Blog’s October Recommendation: Proportionality in Investor-State Arbitration

This month’s recommendation from Oxford University Press: Gebhard Bücheler – Proportionality in Investor-State Arbitration. The new volume by Gebhard Bücheler: Shows that proportionality is a general principle of law relevant to investor-State arbitration Develops an analytical framework for deciding in which legal settings conflicts between the interests of foreign investors and the public interest ought to be resolved… Read More EFILA Blog’s October Recommendation: Proportionality in Investor-State Arbitration

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