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Europe

European Union member states have signed over 1500 trade agreements with third countries, in addition to some 200 bilateral investment treaties (BIT) between EU members. Non-EU European states are party to over 700 trade agreements. Most of all of these contain investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions.

The EU as such has only ratified one treaty with an ISDS mechanism, the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), to which 52 European and Central Asian countries are party. The EU is also in the process of ratifying comprehensive trade agreements with Canada (CETA) and Singapore, both of which include ISDS provisions, and is currently negotiating trade deals with the US (TTIP), India, Malaysia, Vietnam and many other countries.

The EU has initiated the majority of disputes if all claims submitted by EU member states are grouped together (300 from the 28 member states put together in 2014). Only 11% of awards in favour of investors from the EU have been made public, corresponding to a total known amount of about €3.5 billion. European states altogether have been targeted in 46% of all cases (2013).

At the end of 2014, the number of intra-EU ISDS disputes amounted to 99, approximately 16% of all cases globally, half of which having been brought under the ECT.

Overall, the Czech Republic, Spain and Poland have been among the ten most frequent respondent states, while the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland have been among the ten most frequent home states of the investor.

The most well-known cases include:

• Yukos (Isle of Man) vs. Russia: US$50 billion awarded in 2014 to majority shareholders of the oil and gas company (ECT invoked).

• Eureko (Netherland) vs. Poland: case settled in 2005 for about €2 billion in favour of the investor, a large European insurance company (Netherland-Poland BIT invoked)

• Ceskoslovenska Obchodni Banka (Czech Republic) vs. Slovak Republic: €553 million awarded in 2004 to the investor, one of the largest commercial banks in the Czech Republic (Czech Republic-Slovak Republic BIT invoked)

(March 2016)

Luxembourg fund awarded EUR 53.3 million for FET breach arising out of Spain’s curtailment of renewable energy incentive schemes
IISD | 10-Aug-2018
An arbitration tribunal found that Spain’s electricity reforms breached its obligation to accord to the investor fair and equitable treatment under the Energy Charter Treaty
ECT, energy, investor-state disputes | ISDS, Luxembourg, Spain
Un fonds luxembourgeois se voit accorder 53,3 millions EUR pour violation du TJE suite à la réduction du mécanisme espagnol d’aide en faveur de l’énergie renouvelable
IISD | 10-Aug-2018
Un tribunal d’arbitrage a déterminé que les réformes du secteur de l’électricité menées par l’Espagne violaient l’obligation du pays d’accorder un traitement juste et équitable à l’investisseur au titre du Traité sur la Charte de l’énergie.
ECT, energy, investor-state disputes | ISDS, Luxembourg, Spain
EU-Canada (CETA) - Revised draft decisions on the appellate tribunal, the code of conduct and the rules for mediation for the implementation of the Investment Court System (EU proposal, July 2018)
| 10-Aug-2018
Canada, EU, FTAs (texts of), investor-state disputes | ISDS, reformed ISDS
Colombia: Los valores de la Unión Europea
Las 2 Orillas | 8-Aug-2018
En cinco años de TLC con la Unión Europea, los números de los negocios inclinan la balanza a favor ella. ¿Habrá forma de moverla?
Colombia, EU, investor-state disputes | ISDS
One hundred years of expropriation without compensation
Expropriate | 4-Aug-2018
On 29 July 1918, the British judiciary proffered the Empire’s most expressly and egregiously racist justification for the land dispossession of indigenous peoples. Today, an ICSID tribunal continues that mission. No matter which way Zimbabwean’s turn at the polls, they’re still paying for their invasion and occupation by Cecil Rhodes’ British South Africa company...
Germany, human rights, indigenous peoples, investor-state disputes | ISDS, land, Switzerland, UK, Zimbabwe
Swiss foreign investor claims it suffered US$264 million in damages caused by South Korean government
Hankyoreh | 2-Aug-2018
This is the fourth ISDS dispute this year in which the South Korean government is embroiled.
investor-state disputes | ISDS, Korea, Switzerland, UNCITRAL
Non aux attaques des investisseurs étrangers contre l’intérêt général : refus de l’arbitrage entre investisseurs et Etat « ICS »
FTDES | 1-Aug-2018
Dans le cadre des négociations de l’ALECA, l’Union Européenne a proposé à la Tunisie de mettre en place un mécanisme d’arbitrage entre investisseurs et Etat, sous l’appellation « système judiciaire pour l’investissement » (Investment Court System ou ICS en anglais). Nous interpellons la société civile et les pouvoirs publics pour qu’il soit catégoriquement refusé.
actions | resistance, EU, investor-state disputes | ISDS, Tunisia
Unión Europea: No al arbitraje inversor-Estado, a la Carta de la Energía y a los TBI intracomunitarios
CIAR Global | 30-Jul-2018
En un documento de la CE se ratifica la incompatibilidad del arbitraje inversor-Estado con su legislación cuando se trata de inversiones intracomunitarias, así como la aplicación del Tratado de la Carta de la Energía y el rechazo a los TBI entre Estados miembros.
ECT, energy, EU, investor-state disputes | ISDS
Dar faces legal suit at international tribunals over tax, investment policies
East African | 30-Jul-2018
Civil society organisations are pushing for a review of the BIT between Tanzania and The Netherlands which they say does not serve the best interests of Tanzania.
actions | resistance, finance | banking | taxes, investor-state disputes | ISDS, Netherlands, Tanzania
Renovables: Japonesa Itochu completa la treintena de demandas contra España ante Ciadi
CIAR | 26-Jul-2018
Ya son 30 los arbitrajes presentados contra España ante el Centro Internacional de Arreglo de Diferencias relativas a Inversiones (Ciadi) en relación con las reformas energéticas vinculadas con energías renovables.
ECT, energy, investor-state disputes | ISDS, Japan, Spain

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