Investor-state dispute settlement under EU law
Translated title
Investeringsvoldgift under EU-retten
Author
Kjeldsen, Rikke Silke
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2019
Pages
60
Abstract
This thesis examines the compatibility of investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS) in intra‑EU bilateral investment treaties (BITs) with EU law, focusing on the Court of Justice’s Achmea judgment and its implications for the EU constitutional order and ongoing arbitrations. It outlines the BIT regime and the EU legal framework, the Court’s role, and the broader backlash against ISDS. Using a primarily dogmatic legal method grounded in treaties, EU and international case law, and supplemented by policy analysis and doctrine, the study describes and assesses how Achmea affects arbitral jurisdiction, Member States’ announced termination of intra‑EU BITs, uncertainties about scope (including in relation to the Energy Charter Treaty), and potential gaps in investor rights protection. It also analyzes ISDS in the EU’s external trade policy, including new hybrid mechanisms in agreements such as CETA and the Court’s Opinion 1/17 on their compatibility with EU law. Findings are provisional given an evolving legal landscape; the thesis maps key legal tensions and policy choices shaping the future of investment protection in and by the EU.
Afhandlingen undersøger foreneligheden mellem investor‑stat tvistbilæggelse (ISDS) i intra‑EU bilaterale investeringsaftaler (BITs) og EU-retten med fokus på EU-Domstolens Achmea-dom og dens betydning for EU’s forfatningsretlige orden og verserende voldgiftssager. Den redegør for BIT‑systemet og EU-rettens konstitutionelle ramme, Domstolens rolle og den bredere kritik af ISDS. Metodisk anvendes primært en retsdogmatisk tilgang baseret på traktater, EU‑ og international retspraksis, suppleret af retspolitiske overvejelser og doktrin, til at beskrive og vurdere hvordan Achmea påvirker voldgiftskompetence, medlemsstaternes varslede ophævelse af intra‑EU BITs, usikkerhed om rækkevidde (herunder i forhold til Energy Charter Treaty) og mulige huller i beskyttelsen af investorers rettigheder. Afhandlingen analyserer også ISDS i EU’s eksterne handelspolitik, herunder nye hybride mekanismer i aftaler som CETA og EU-Domstolens udtalelse 1/17 om deres forenelighed med EU-retten. Konklusionerne er foreløbige i lyset af et skiftende retslandskab; studiet kortlægger centrale retlige spændinger og politiske valg, der former fremtiden for investeringsbeskyttelse i og fra EU.
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