On 6 March 2018, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) found that investor-State dispute settlement (“ISDS”) in intra-EU BIT’s is incompatible with EU law. The CJUE rendered the important Achmea judgment against the Opinion of the Advocate General Wathelet and found that: “Articles 267 and 344 TFEU must be interpreted as precluding a provision in an international agreement […]
State Counterclaim in Investment Arbitration
An ICSID arbitral tribunal awarded approximately USD 40 million in damages to Ecuador for the foreign investor’s liability for the costs of restoring the environment in an area concerned by the investment. This award of a counterclaim in investment arbitration was made by an arbitral tribunal composed of Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler, Brigitte Stern and Stephen Drymer in […]
Disclosure of Third-Party Funding in International Arbitration
The disclosure of third-party funding is becoming increasingly common in international arbitration proceedings. This is reasonable, as the fact that there is an outside influence on the case affects the decision-making process and impacts issues such as transparency, impartiality, independence and conflicts of interest. For instance, if a third-party funder has a conflict of interest […]
Investor’s Consent to ICSID Arbitration Under Côte d’Ivoire’s Investment Code
A request for acceptance of the investment constitutes valid evidence of the investor’s consent to ICSID arbitration under Côte d’Ivoire’s Investment Code. This is the finding of the arbitral tribunal in an ICSID arbitration initiated by an Ivoirian company, Société Resort Company Invest Abidjan, and two French nationals, Stanislas Citerici and Gérard Bot, against the Republic of […]
Market Access of Foreign Investors under Bilateral Investment Treaties
Market access of foreign investors is the ultimate step for the entrance of foreign capital into a host country. Most countries today regulate the admission of the foreign direct investment through a special legal framework agreed with other countries and entities on a bilateral and sometimes multilateral level. By entering into such treaties, States agree […]