Source: CCPA October 14, 2011 By Scott Sinclair, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives The recent decision by the European Union (EU) to disregard Canadian government pressure and forge ahead with regulations that recognise the higher green-house-gas intensity of fuel produced from tar sands and oil shale is encouraging.   The Canadian government has lobbied furiously against Article …
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Source: Canadianlawyermag.com October 24, 2011 Written by  Gus Van Harten There is something awry when a dispute between a company and a government that engages public policy is resolved by arbitrators subject to the authority of an international business organization. It becomes ridiculous when virtually everything about the process is kept confidential. So we should lament …
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Source: Coc.org Rethinking Bretton Woods | Fri, Sep 30, 2011 By Aldo Caliari Commentary on two new papers assessing the impacts of Bilateral Investment Treaties on foreign investment flows. Two new research pieces have come up with evidence to support the contention that investment treaties are a negligible factor in business decisions to open establishments in a …
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Source: Ilcurry.wordpress.com October 31, 2011 During the Nepalese Prime Minister’s recent state visit to India, Nepal’s Minister for Industries and India’s Minister of Finance signed a bilateral agreement for the promotion and protection of investments between the two countries (“Nepal-India BIT”/”BIT”/”BIPPA”). Possible Motivations The underlying objective behind the BIT seems to be the belief that the treaty would serve as a catalyst in …
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October 31, 2011 By Aldo Orellana López, for the Network for Justice in Global Investment On December 19, 2001, thousands of families took to the streets and plazas of Buenos Aires with their pots in hand. They were protesting against the economic policy of Fernando de la Rua’s government and his predecessor Carlos Menem, which …
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Source: Institute for Policy Studies September 1, 2011 By Sarah Anderson The first trade agreement to be negotiated by the Obama administration should allow governments to control volatile capital flows. U.S. negotiators are hardliners against capital controls in current Trans-Pacific trade talks with eight other countries.  Their position is more rigid than the International Monetary Fund and …
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The discussion of investor-state dispute settlement in this OECD document reflects a positive step in the push for transparency and openness in investor-state arbitration. It is also noteworthy for its recognition that investor-state disputes often engage major issues of public policy. The document is also positive for its mention of issues of integrity and competence in …
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Inside U.S. Trade – 04/08/2011 Posted: April 7, 2011 Renco Group Inc., a U.S. holding firm that owns a smelting complex in Peru, yesterday (April 7) commenced arbitration against the Peruvian government in the first ever investor-state case under the U.S.-Peru free trade agreement, according to an informed source. Renco until now waited until factors …
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Source: reuters.com WASHINGTON | Tue Feb 8, 2011 5:18pm EST WASHINGTON Feb 8 (Reuters) – A coalition of leading business groups has urged the Obama administration to reject a call to give U.S. free trade partners more freedom to control the flow of capital in and out of their countries. Loosening rules on capital controls in …
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November 8, 2010 Source: Other Words By Manuel Pérez-Rocha Remember the joy shared by millions around the world as we watched as the Chilean miners were rescued one by one? Celebrating their survival made me wish that the global mining industry could find itself in the spotlight too, with lights glaring at each aspect of its destructiveness …
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