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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.

U.S. court upholds award to miner Crystallex in Venezuela dispute
Reuters | 27-Mar-2017
A U.S. court has upheld an award by a World Bank Tribunal that orders Venezuela to pay more than $1 billion to Canadian mining company Crystallex, paving the way for the firm to seize assets for the 2008 expropriation of the Las Cristinas gold project.
keywords: Canada , investor-state disputes | ISDS , mining , Venezuela
CETA: il faut consulter la Cour de Justice européenne au plus vite, estime le Centre d’Etudes de DéFI
RTBF | 27-Mar-2017
L’utilisation d’une juridiction externe, parallèle aux instances judiciaires des Etats membres contre toute mesure que l’investisseur étranger considère contraire aux droits conférés par le CETA, met en cause la primauté du droit européen.
keywords: Belgium , Canada , EU , investor-state disputes | ISDS
Tribunal dismisses Eli Lilly’s NAFTA challenge on promise utility doctrine
Lexology | 27-Mar-2017
The Tribunal found that Eli Lilly had failed to demonstrate that the promise doctrine constitutes a fundamental or dramatic change in the utility requirement under Canadian patent law or that the promise doctrine is arbitrary and/or discriminatory.
keywords: Canada , intellectual property , investor-state disputes | ISDS , medicines , NAFTA | USMCA , US
Renco failed to comply with formal waiver requirement under US–Peru Trade Promotion Agreement
IISD | 26-Mar-2017
Renco alleged that Peru breached its TPA obligations to afford fair and equitable treatment and national treatment, as well as certain contractual obligations.
keywords: environment , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Peru , US
Gaz naturel Colombie va dénoncer devant le CIRDI et exiger une indemnité de 1.000 millions
Business Monkey | 24-Mar-2017
Le montant demandé par Fenosa naturel gaz pour la liquidation de sa filiale Electricaribe est plus de deux fois supérieur à la valeur comptable de Electricaribe.
keywords: Colombia , energy , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Spain
TransCanada Keystone XL rejection lawsuit dropped - arbitrator
Reuters | 24-Mar-2017
Transcanada Corp’s legal challenge against the United States over its past rejection of Keystone XL pipeline has been dropped.
keywords: Canada , climate , energy , investor-state disputes | ISDS , NAFTA | USMCA , US
Romania - the end of intra-EU bilateral investment treaties
Lexology | 24-Mar-2017
The law approving the termination of agreements on mutual promotion and protection of investments concluded by Romania with other Member States (Intra-EU BITs) was published in the Official Gazette.
keywords: EU , investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Romania
International investment law and arbitration: a conceptual framework
International Law and Litigation | 24-Mar-2017
Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) has become the most controversial form of international litigation.
keywords: EU , investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS , ISDS reform
ICSID tribunal dismisses claims brought against Indonesia based on forged mining licences
IISD | 24-Mar-2017
The tribunal considered all claims inadmissible, ordering the claimants to bear all arbitration costs and to reimburse 75 per cent of Indonesia’s legal expenses.
keywords: Indonesia , investor-state disputes | ISDS , mining
Place of arbitration in the proposed “investment court” scenario: an overlooked issue?
Kluwer Arbitration Blog | 24-Mar-2017
The place of arbitration matters because the law at the place of arbitration determines the procedural frame for the arbitration and therefore may have important consequences.
keywords: EU , ICSID , investor-state disputes | ISDS , ISDS reform , UNCITRAL