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.

Morning Star | 22-Jun-2016
Churchill Mining PLC said it has been informed a ruling on its ongoing tribunal with Indonesia is expected in September.
ICTSD | 22-Jun-2016
How to encourage the flow of sustainable FDI for sustainable development? This article examines the state of the international investment law and policy regime and presents potential options for its reform.
Tercera Información | 21-Jun-2016
Con el fin de incidir en la campaña electoral y a una semana del Consejo Europeo que afrontará la polémica negociación del TTIP, se presenta el informe ’Justicia privatizada. El Estado español y los mecanismos de resolución de controversias inversor-Estado’
Friends of the Earth Europe | 21-Jun-2016
Friends of the Earth Europe welcomes a reference to the UN process to establish binding rules that would force multinational corporations to respect human rights laws, but calls on the EU to start actively supporting this UN process.
Upside Down World | 21-Jun-2016
The long-running struggle of rural communities in Guatemala against the United States-based mining firm Kappes, Cassiday, and Associates (KCA) continues in Guatemala’s national courts.
La Croix | 20-Jun-2016
Les évêques de l’Union européenne et des États-Unis d’Amérique estiment que les politiques commerciales « doivent être fondées sur des critères éthiques axés sur l’être humain et avoir pour objectif le bien commun ».
Vieuws | 20-Jun-2016
High-level South Korean diplomats have expressed their preference for the old investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system over the Investment Court System (ICS) in the framework of a future investment chapter in the EU-South Korea FTA.
Prensa Latina | 20-Jun-2016
The Guatemala Mining Explorations (Exmingua) threatens with filing a lawsuit against Guatemala after being forced to suspend operations by decree of the Constitutional Court .
Mapuexpress | 18-Jun-2016
El Acuerdo Transpacífico o TPP representa un sofisticado instrumento jurídico orientado a maximizar los beneficios de empresas transnacionales que operen en los países adheridos a él.
Business Day | 17-Jun-2016
Legal practitioners have been saying for some time now that SA’s Protection of Investment Act is not in sync with the country’s commitments under the Southern African Development Community Protocol on Finance and Investment.