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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.

Corn Products awarded damages in NAFTA dispute
World-Grain.com | 21-Aug-2009
US-based Corn Products International has been awarded damages of over $58m in a dispute with Mexico over violations of the North America Free Trade Agreement.
keywords: investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Mexico , NAFTA | USMCA , US
Ecuador shakes up international fora
ICTSD | 6-Aug-2009
Exiting ICSID and joining ALBA and UNASUR,along with the customs restrictions it applied on its CAN neighbours, are the recent measures that have been taken by the government of Ecuador to demonstrate that there is an alternative trade policy.
keywords: ALBA , CAN , Ecuador , investor-state disputes | ISDS , UNASUR
Ecuador agita foros internacionales
ICTSD | 5-Aug-2009
La salida del CIADI, la incorporación a la ALBA y a la UNASUR, así como las restricciones arancelarias impuestas a sus vecinos de la CAN, son medidas tomadas recientemente por el gobierno ecuatoriano que muestran una política comercial alternativa.
keywords: ALBA , CAN , Ecuador , investor-state disputes | ISDS , UNASUR
When managed investment funds are not "investors" for the purpose of seeking protection under BITs
Clayton Utz | 30-Jun-2009
Some managed investment funds may not be able to seek protection under bilateral investment treaties when investing abroad, according to a recent award rendered in an investment treaty arbitration between a various Spanish investment funds and the Russian Federation (Renta 4 S.V.S.A v Russian Federation).
keywords: investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS
Argentine crisis arbitration awards pile up, but investors still wait for a payout
Law.com | 25-Jun-2009
It’s time for the US Department of State to pressure Argentina to comply with its treaty obligations, some lawyers suggest.
keywords: Argentina , investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS , US
Millonaria demanda de Pacific Rim al Estado Salvadoreño. El legado del TLC en Centroamérica
OMAL | 23-Jun-2009
Las empresas representadas bajo el nombre de Pacific Rim Cayman LLC, en el marco del Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Estados Unidos, Centroamérica y Republica Dominicana (CAFTA - DR por sus siglas en inglés) demandan al Estado por una cantidad inicial de US$77 millones de dólares, en concepto de indemnización por daños a la inversión realizada en nuestro suelo.
keywords: CAFTA , corporate interests , El Salvador , investor-state disputes | ISDS
Human rights and BITs: Mapping the role of human rights law within investor-state arbitration
Rights & Democracy | 22-Jun-2009
Investment treaties and free trade agreements offer few instructions as to how such agreements should be reconciled with human rights obligations of the state.
keywords: human rights , investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS
Goldcorp loses bid for $50 mln NAFTA compensation
Reuters | 11-Jun-2009
A unit of Goldcorp has lost a bid to get $50 million in compensation after a US trade tribunal rejected claims the gold miner’s operations were hampered by environmental regulations
keywords: environment , investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS , mining , NAFTA | USMCA
Do bilateral investment treaties lead to more foreign investment?
ITN | 1-May-2009
The global network of over 2800 bilateral investment treaties has been built on the basis of promoting foreign direct investment, and yet, after a decade of research, whether in fact BITs lead to an increase in FDI flows is a matter of debate. ITN has posed a few questions to three academics for their views on the relationship between BITs, FDI flows and sustainable development.
keywords: investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS
Will Dow challenge Quebec pesticide law?
| 3-Apr-2009
Dow AgroSciences is mulling over a NAFTA challenge to Quebec’s law banning the cosmetic use of pesticides, setting a spotlight on one of the most controversial clauses of the trade agreement among Canada, the United States and Mexico.
keywords: agriculture | farmers | food , Canada , corporate interests , environment , investor-state disputes | ISDS , US