International arbitration in the Seychelles is primarily governed by the Commercial Code of Seychelles, Chapter 38 (1 January 1977) Title IX (the “Commercial Code Act”) and supplemented by the Seychelles Code of Civil Procedure, Chapter 213 (15 April 1920, as amended) (the “Code of Civil Procedure”). The legal system of the Seychelles represents a peculiar […]
Investment Arbitration
MFN Clauses in Investment Arbitration
Most-Favoured-Nation Clauses, or MFN Clauses, figure in the vast majority of investment protection treaties. They are intended to ensure “that a host country extends to the covered foreign investor and its investments, as applicable, treatment that is no less favourable than that which it accords to foreign investors of any third country.”[1] By according such […]
Arbitration Under the OIC Investment Agreement
Many investors are unaware of the existence of the Agreement for the Promotion, Protection and Guarantee of Investments among the Member States of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (the “OIC Investment Agreement”) and its provisions regarding dispute settlement. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (the “OIC”; Arabic: منظمة التعاون الإسلامي; French: Organisation de la […]
Lost Profits in Investment Arbitration
It is common in investment arbitration that investors seek to recover the profits they claim to have lost as a consequence of one or more internationally wrongful acts perpetrated by a host State of foreign investment. Historically, in assessing damages there has been a distinction between damnum emergens (actual losses) and lucrum cessans (loss of […]
Consent to Arbitration Based on Investment Codes
In international arbitration, consent to arbitration can be expressed in different forms, including in domestic laws. While it is widely recognized that States can commit themselves by way of international treaties (or by virtue of contracts covering future disputes), States can also give their consent to arbitration based on investment codes. Due to the significant […]
Energy Charter Treaty: Current Status between EU States
The Energy Charter Treaty (“ECT”), available here, is a multilateral agreement. It was signed in December 1994 and entered into force on 16 April 1998. It created a multilateral framework for energy long-term cooperation between its members. The Energy Charter Treaty is preceded by the European Energy Charter adopted in December 1991, under which signatories […]
Bifurcation in Investment Arbitration
In investment arbitration, it is rather common for arbitral tribunals to deal with preliminary issues prior to any consideration of the merits of a case. In such scenarios, the main question is whether to asses these issues together with other matters to be ruled upon in the final award or to deal with them in […]
Third-Party Funding under ICSID Amendments: Balance Between States’ and Investors’ Interests
Over the past decade, the use of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (“ISDS”) mechanisms to challenge public policies has been a topic of attention and pressure from Non-Governmental Organizations and States to reform ISDS has increased.[1] This has led to proposals for amendment of the ICSID Rules. Working Paper #3, containing the latest proposals, may be found […]
How to Reduce the Overall Cost of Investment Treaty Arbitration
Investment treaty arbitration has various flaws, but one flaw that is acknowledged by both foreign investors and States who use the dispute resolution system is that, in practice, it can be incredibly expensive. The costs of investment treaty arbitration can be unbearable for certain States, who have far better uses for public funds, and they […]