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South Africa


Why South Africa has ripped up foreign investment deals
As the nation looks to move on from the loss of Nelson Mandela, these moves to regain control over foreign investment will prove valuable.
EU angry as investment policy levels playing field
Is there something the EU trade guys know that they’re not telling the rest of us? Have they got wind of a dastardly ANC plan to expropriate all European-owned assets in South Africa?
South Africa draft PPIB (2013)
Proposed legal framework to replace previous BITs
Swiss govt reacts to termination of investment treaty with SA
The Swiss government says it regrets South Africa’s decision to terminate the bilateral investment treaty between the two countries.
Why South Africa should send the Dutch government a letter in the next two weeks
1st of November 2013 is an important date if one wants to get rid of this outdated treaty which poses growing risk to policy making in the public interest
SA annuls bilateral investment treaty with Germany
South Africa last week cancelled its bilateral investment treaty with Germany, one of its most important trading partners, amid protests by German businesses.
Move to ease German, EU doubts over investor risk in SA
SOUTH Africa is scrambling to convince Germany and its other European trade partners that its unilateral scrapping of bilateral investment treaties is not a risk to their investments in South Africa.
South Africa terminates its bilateral investment treaty with Spain
This is the second BIT terminated as part of South Africa’s planned review of its investment treaties
Namibia and the Economic Partnership Agreement
Namibia’s principled refusal to get bullied into an agreement against what it considered its own best interests has served as an example for other countries originally more willing to give in to the pressure exerted by EU
Termination of bilateral investment treaties won’t harm relations
"South Africa has confronted a dilemma in which it was no longer possible to renegotiate investment treaties with individual EU member states and if we did not move towards termination, the existing treaties would be automatically extended for another 10 years," writes Trade Minister Rob Davies.
Freeing trade between South Africa and Nigeria
If a Free Trade Area were negotiated between Africa’s two largest economies, South Africa and Nigeria, it would have a powerful effect across the sub-continent. However, there are concerns that such an FTA would give one-sided benefits to the South Africans.
Treaty-based disputes between investors, states on the rise, says Unctad
Dispute settlements between investors and states saw 62 new cases initiated last year, the highest number of known treaty-based disputes filed in a year, according to a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) in March.
Poulterers fear influx of chicken from EU
The South African Poultry Association, which has applied to the International Trade Administration Commission for a general tariff increase against chicken imports, also plans to seek protection against imports from the European Union.
Government moves to protect rooibos in EU — eight years on
A French company’s attempt to claim "rooibos" as its own intellectual property has galvanised the South African government into action to protect the term under its talks with Brussels over the EU-South Africa EPA.
New law to deal with compensating foreign investors for expropriation
One of the most contentious issues dealt with in a draft new Foreign Investment Bill, which the South African Department of Trade and Industry will present to an interministerial committee in the next few months, will deal with how the South African government will compensate foreign investors in the event of expropriation, deputy director-general of international trade Xavier Carim said on Friday.
India, SA agree for early finalisation of India-SACU PTA negotiations
Union Commerce, Industry and Textiles Minister nand Sharma and Rob Davies, Minister of Trade and Industry of South Africa, reviewed the India- Southern African Custom Union (SACU) Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) negotiations in Johannesburg today.
South Africa and EU deal a blow for Kenya
An existing trade pact between South Africa and the European Union is presenting a fresh hurdle in negotiations for economic partnership with Kenya.
New statism: what replaces canned investment treaties?
What is remarkable about South Africa’s move against the EU is the lack of bilateral consultation before terminating its BITs as much as the proposal, almost novel in international investment law, that all future investment arbitration with SA should be domesticated.
South Africa: BITs in pieces
South Africa has terminated a bilateral investment treaty with Belgium and Luxembourg in the first of a series of planned shreddings of post apartheid-era agreements which are coming up for renewal.
SADC free trade agreement coming soon: Davies
An agreement to lower barriers to trade and improve cross-border commerce in the SADC should be implemented this year, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies says.