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.

Le Monde | 23-Oct-2015
Les investisseurs conserveront le privilège de pouvoir attaquer des décisions publiques devant un organe d’arbitrage, sans que l’inverse soit possible.
Rabble | 22-Oct-2015
Billionaire T. Boone Pickens is suing Canada through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) for $700 million in future lost profit.
IPS | 21-Oct-2015
Los tratados de comercio e inversión son uno de los instrumentos de internacionalización de las empresas europeas, que aseguran su acceso a los mercados mundiales y a los recursos en otras partes del mundo.
SUNS | 21-Oct-2015
There are many lessons from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that are relevant to the current debate over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Abdel en vrai | 19-Oct-2015
Le traité transatlantique aura un effet catastrophique sur notre santé, parlez en autour de vous.
EurActiv | 19-Oct-2015
EU Parliament adopts robust mechanism needed for Paris climate talks. Are European national leaders ready to act?
Sierra Club | 18-Oct-2015
A private trade tribunal ruled that Canada violated rules in NAFTA because of an environmental impact assessment that led Canada to reject a company’s controversial mining project from moving forward in an important cultural and ecological area in Nova Scotia.
Red del Tercer Mundo | 16-Oct-2015
Finalmente concluyeron las negociaciones sobre el Acuerdo de Asociación Transpacífico (TPP). Si bien el texto oficial aún no se ha hecho público, a partir de informes de prensa y textos filtrados pueden hacerse algunos comentarios preliminares. En primer lugar, el comercio es solo una parte del TPP.
Financial Post | 16-Oct-2015
Pickens is using his rights under the North American Free Trade Agreement to bring claims against the Canadian province of Ontario.