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.

IISD | 15-Jan-2024
RWE a choisi de se désister de l’affaire auprès du CIRDI, avec l’accord des Pays-Bas.
IISD | 15-Jan-2024
L’UE apparaît en tant que défendeur dans l’un des trois arbitrages introduits par des sociétés de raffinage de pétrole appartenant au groupe Klesch.
Inside Climate News | 15-Jan-2024
When Ecuador placed a windfall tax on foreign oil operations, French and U.S. companies filed claims—and were awarded more than $800 million.
Argentina Mejor sin TLC | 12-Jan-2024
El 2023 fue el año más virulento en cuanto a demandas inversor-Estado (ISDS) contra países de América Latina y el Caribe, con más de 30 demandas en total. A su vez, la región fue la más demandada a nivel global y el país que más litigios enfrentó fue México.
Essex Court Chambers | 12-Jan-2024
Peteris Pildegovics and SIA North Star argued that Norway had violated the BIT between Latvia and Norway in relation to alleged investments of the claimants in snow crab harvesting licenses and harvesting vessels.
L’Observatoire de l’Europe | 12-Jan-2024
La décision de se retirer ou non du traité reste dans les limbes, certains pays de l’UE souhaitant rester et d’autres l’ayant déjà quitté.
Euronews | 11-Jan-2024
Decision on whether to part from treaty remains in limbo, with some EU countries wanting to stay and others having already departed.
Al Habtoor | 10-Jan-2024
Emirati conglomerate Al Habtoor Group served a notice of an Investment Treaty Dispute against the Lebanese Republic in connection with Lebanon’s breaches of the Bilateral Investment Treaty between the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon.
CDR | 10-Jan-2024
A wrangle over a shareholding in a Tunisian bank which dates back to the 1980s has finally been resolved in arbitration.
Canada’s National Observer | 9-Jan-2024
The battle between a Canadian mining company and Panama over one of the richest copper-gold mines in the Americas is headed to international arbitration – exposing Canada’s double standard when it comes to promoting free trade in the Global South.