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India FTAs & ISDS

Minefields in investment relations
10-Jul-2017 Economic & Political Weekly
The Government of India and the Government of Andhra Pradesh are facing an arbitration suit due to the cancellation of bauxite mining approvals in Visakhapatnam. This is the latest in a series of legal actions by foreign investors in the country.
Foreign investment: big slogan and bigger worries
8-Jul-2017 NDTV India
What can India do at the level of trade and diplomacy to deal with RCEP
Investing in alternative dispute settlement
3-Jul-2017 Madhyam
Governments at the Centre and in the States must urgently invest in building their own capacity to handle the new generation of international investment arbitration.
US junks Bilateral Investment Treaty talks
29-Jun-2017 The Hindu
Talks deadlocked on investor dispute settlement.
Cairn tax dispute: I-T dept confiscates dividend, refund
19-Jun-2017 PTI
The Income Tax Department has ordered coercive action against Cairn Energy of UK, including taking away over Rs 2,000 crore dividend and tax refund, to recover part of the Rs 10,247 crore retrospective tax.
The art of the free trade agreement
8-Jun-2017 The Hindu
As India prepares to resume FTA talks with the EU, a recent landmark decision by the European Court of Justice on investor-state dispute settlement assumes importance.
‘Investment pact system needs review’
2-Jun-2017 The Hindu
‘IIA, which has a pro-investor bias, aims to protect only capital and not labour,’ said Saurabh Garg, the Joint Secretary in Indian Finance Ministry’s Department of Economic Affairs.
Vodafone Group serves second notice on India to formally start 2nd arbitration in tax case
17-May-2017 ET Telecom
Vodafone Group Plc has served its second notice on the Indian government to formally commence the​second ​arbitration in the high profile Rs 22,000 crore tax matter.
Withdrawal from investment treaties: An omen for waning investor protection in Asia-Pacific?
15-May-2017 Lexology
While India and Indonesia may have withdrawn from existing BITs, this does not necessarily leave foreign investors without any protection.
ISDS is unsuited to meet today’s global challenges
9-May-2017 Financial Times
The growing number of investor claims against sovereign host states has fuelled a backlash against bilateral investment treaties and free-trade agreements across the world.
RCEP will hurt local industry and allow workers’ exploitation, says civil society
9-May-2017 Down to Earth
RCEP is being negotiated in secrecy, but it is likely to favour big companies and threaten India’s agriculture, industry and e-commerce sectors
Stop trading workers’ rights over profits
8-May-2017 Forum on FTAs
RCEP magnifies existing inequalities and discriminates against women, indigenous peoples, people living with HIV or other illnesses, people with disabilities,rural communities, farmers and workers
Employment crisis and free trade agreements( FTAs) : Why workers should reject RCEP
27-Apr-2017 Forum against FTAs
Trade unions, farmers groups, health activists, and other people’s movements are planning to organise a series of events to put pressure on the Government of India to withdraw from RCEP negotiations.
FinMin to look into changes sought by Canada in draft bilateral treaty
27-Apr-2017 The Hindu
Enormous political pressure to get the bilateral, economic treaties off the ground, say officials.
Cairn arbitration: International panel rejects India’s demand for stay
27-Apr-2017 Live Mint
An international arbitration panel has rejected India’s demand for a stay on an arbitration initiated by Cairn Energy against Rs10,247 crore retrospective tax notice.
Treating intellectual property as an investment, and subjecting it to treaty arbitration, can have undesirable impact
19-Apr-2017 Economic Times
Free trade agreements tend to treat intellectual property as an investment made by investor corporations, allowing private investment disputes to be raised against the host country.
India pushes Cairn to settle tax with fresh interest demand
13-Apr-2017 Bloomberg BNA
The Indian government nudges Cairn to accept the terms of its tax dispute settlement scheme instead of pursuing the international arbitration route.
India’s bilateral investment pacts under cloud
10-Apr-2017 The Hindu
Most have expired; partners unwilling to renew them under Finance Ministry’s model draft
India receives 20 claim notices under BIPA disputes: Govt
1-Apr-2017 Business Standard
India has received around 20 claim notices in cases of investor-state arbitration disputes under bilateral investment protection pacts.
Tribunal confirms ₹10,247-cr tax demand on Cairn UK
10-Mar-2017 The Hindu
The tax dispute between the Indian government and Cairn Plc has been the subject of international arbitration from 2014.