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.

The Irish Times | 17-Dec-2020
Important issues raised by CETA deserve more than a ludicrous 55-minute parliament debate.
CIAR Global | 16-Dec-2020
La compañía estadounidense Worth Capital Holdings 27 LLC ha presentado una demanda de arbitraje contra Perú ante el Centro Internacional de Arreglo de Diferencias relativas a Inversiones (CIADI) que estaría relacionada con sus inversiones en la refinería Pucallpa.
Heinrich Böll Foundation | 16-Dec-2020
Given China’s unique position, the study concludes that the EU must ensure that particularly strong protections for EU regulatory policy space are included in any future investment deal.
Inequality.org | 16-Dec-2020
In 2020, foreign investors filed at least 51 known cases demanding huge sums from governments struggling to fight a historic pandemic.
Euractiv | 16-Dec-2020
A two-day conference of the 54 parties to the Energy Charter Treaty will attempt to move forward in reforming the little-known charter, decried by environmentalists for protecting fossil fuel investments and blocking international efforts to curb global warming.
TNI | 15-Dec-2020
Amidst growing concerns that the ECT undermines urgent climate action, its corporate profiteers, the ECT Secretariat, and others are spewing propaganda, promoting falsehoods about how the treaty attracts clean investment.
CIAR Global | 14-Dec-2020
España ha solicitado a un tribunal estadounidense la suspensión del procedimiento de ejecución presentado por Watkins Holdings del laudo de 77 millones de euros obtenido ante un tribunal internacional en enero de 2020 relacionado con las reformas energéticas de las renovables.
Stop Corporate Impunity | 12-Dec-2020
150 organizations are asking the government of Ecuador to appeal the arbitration award issued by the Dutch justice system in favor of the oil transnational Chevron.
Diálogo 2000 | 11-Dec-2020
En solidaridad con decenas de miles de afectados por el mayor desastre ambiental que ha impactado a la Amazonía ecuatoriana, más de 150 organizaciones, redes, movimientos, y sindicatos, entre ellas Diálogo 2000-Jubileo Sur Argentina, en representación de más de 85 millones de personas a nivel internacional, piden al Gobierno de Ecuador que apele ante la justicia holandesa el laudo arbitral que favorece a la petrolera Chevron.
Médias24 | 11-Dec-2020
Les parties s’accordent sur la suspension de la procédure. Des sources évoquent des discussions sur un possible accord amiable.