investor-state disputes | ISDS

Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) refers to a way of handling conflicts under international investment agreements whereby companies from one party are allowed to sue the government of another party. This means they can file a complaint and seek compensation for damages. Many BITs and investment chapters of FTAs allow for this if the investor’s expectation of a profit has been negatively affected by some action that the host government took, such as changing a policy. The dispute is normally handled not in a public court but through a private abritration panel. The usual venues where these proceedings take place are the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (World Bank), the International Chamber of Commerce, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law or the International Court of Justice.

ISDS is a hot topic right now because it is being challenged very strongly by concerned citizens in the context of the EU-US TTIP negotiations, the TransPacific Partnership talks and the CETA deal between Canada and the EU.

CIAR Global | 7-Mar-2024
El 1 de marzo de 2024, el tribunal del arbitraje de inversiones de la compañía italiana Campos de Pesé contra Panamá ha desestimado la reclamación de la empresa.
SSRN | 7-Mar-2024
Using the 2015 arbitral award in von Pezold v. Zimbabwe as its starting point, this piece reflects on the relationship between racial capitalism and international law.
CIAR Global | 5-Mar-2024
El Centro Internacional de Arreglo de Diferencias relativas a Inversiones ha comunicado la denuncia de Honduras del Convenio sobre Arreglo de Diferencias Relativas a Inversiones entre Estados y Nacionales de Otros Estados (Convenio CIADI).
IANS | 5-Mar-2024
The purported foreign investors were seeking approximately $100 million in damages claiming that the government had amended the legal framework for ethanol production in the country in breach of Panama’s international law obligations.
Canada’s National Observer | 5-Mar-2024
A proposed Canada-Ecuador free trade agreement could put corporate interests above citizens’ rights, say several concerned organizations.
Friends of the Earth Europe | 4-Mar-2024
Today marks a significant turning point as the Belgian EU Presidency brokered a deal with the European Commission and member states on the withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty.
Actu Transport Logistique | 4-Mar-2024
Saisi par DP World en 2017, le Centre international pour le règlement des différends relatifs aux investissements a arbitré en faveur de l’opérateur portuaire émirati dans le cadre d’un contentieux qui l’oppose au port d’Anvers au sujet de la concession au quai Deurganck.
La Presse | 4-Mar-2024
Une société minière dont le siège social est au Canada réclame au moins 20 milliards par voie d’arbitrage international à la suite de la fermeture de sa mine de cuivre au Panamá.
Connaissance des Energies | 4-Mar-2024
Un tribunal néerlandais a rejeté un appel de la Russie contre une sentence arbitrale record de 50 milliards de dollars, ouvrant la voie à un paiement aux ex-actionnaires de l’ancien géant pétrolier Ioukos.
ABC | 4-Mar-2024
An Amsterdam court has rejected Russia’s final argument in a years-long legal battle over a $50 billion arbitration award.