Navigating Policy Shifts in Investor-State Dispute Settlement in Latin America: A Case Study of Colombia

By: Jake Helfant States have historically utilized provisions for Investor-State Dispute Settlement (“ISDS”) to secure foreign investment, ensuring that disputes with foreign enterprises are governed and processed outside of the jurisdiction of sovereign states. Bilateral Investment Treaties (“BITs”) and Free Trade Agreements (“FTAs”) typically include ISDS provisions, mandating arbitration through the International Center for Settlement…

An Overview of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement

The European Union-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA), a bilaterally beneficial trade agreement, was finally implemented on November 20, 2019, after ten years of negotiations. Talks began in 2009, with the Good and Services negotiations and investment protection negotiations ending in 2012 and 2014, respectively. EUSFTA was signed in October 2018, and approved by the European…

Expected Changes to ISDS Mechanisms under the USMCA

Upon its ratification by all parties, the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will make substantial changes to the former North American Fair Trade Agreement’s (NAFTA) investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms found under Chapter 11. US-Canadian investments will experience the most dramatic changes due to the complete elimination of Chapter 11 ISDS mechanisms. There are big…