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ECT

One Treaty to rule them all
13-Jun-2018 TNI
The ever-expanding Energy Charter Treaty and the power it gives corporations to halt the energy transition.
Spain loses its third millionaire arbitration award for the reduction of renewables
18-May-2018 Turkey Telegraph
ICSID imposes a fine of 64.5 million euros for a claim by a fund of the state of Abu Dhabi.
Germany says Vattenfall has no grounds to seek arbitration over nuclear phase-out
9-May-2018 Reuters
Swedish utility Vattenfall has no legal grounds to ask a US arbitration court if it can claim 4.7 billion euros from Berlin for forcing it to halt nuclear production, the German government has said.
Spain to pay compensation to renewables investors
26-Feb-2018 Wind Power
In a second international ruling against retroactive cuts in renewables support introduced by the Spanish government in 2013, a Swedish arbitration panel has awarded a Luxembourg-based investment firm €53 million compensation.
Kazakhstan’s frozen billions sound alarm for sovereign funds
21-Feb-2018 Reuters
The case is one of several brought to courts in Europe by Moldovan businessman Anatolie Stati who is attempting to force the Kazakh government to pay up in a dispute about his energy investments in the oil-rich country.
When climate leaders protect dirty investments
9-Nov-2017 Project Syndicate
Much of the problem can be traced to bilateral investment treaties and investment rules embedded within broader trade pacts.
Spain loses first arbitration claim over cuts to renewable energy subsidies
9-May-2017 El País
Spain has lost its first international arbitration process over cuts to renewable energy subsidies
German utilities win compensation for nuclear phaseout
8-Dec-2016 DW
Germany’s highest court has ruled in favor of three power companies in a dispute over a government decision to phase out nuclear energy. Vattenfall is also suing at the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
CEZ seeking hundreds of millions of euros from Bulgaria in arbitration
29-Jul-2016 Reuters
Czech utility CEZ has launched arbitration seeking hundreds of millions of euros from Bulgaria for failure to protect its energy investments
KazMunayGas companies issue notice of investment dispute to the Government of Romania
27-Jul-2016 PRNewswire
The arbitration dispute concerns the treatment applied by the Romanian authorities to the investments performed by KMG and KMGI in their Romanian subsidiaries.
Dutch court overturns $50 billion ruling against Russia in Yukos case
21-Apr-2016 New York Times
In a major victory for the Russian government, a Dutch court overturned an award of more than $50 billion to former shareholders of the defunct oil company Yukos.
French court rules in favor of Russia’s Roscosmos in Yukos assets seizure case
14-Apr-2016 Moscow Times
Russian space agency Roscosmos has won a court action in France concerning $700 million in payments owed to the company, which were seized by French authorities.
Court rules in favour of Spain in suit against renewable energy cuts
26-Jan-2016 Reuters
An international arbitrator threw out claims from two investors protesting against Spain’s 2010 cuts to renewable energy subsidies, setting a potential precedent for other lawsuits pending.
Why we should all be worried about our BITs – or at least what foreign investors are doing with them
4-Dec-2015 Open Democracy UK
Britain’s role, not just with TTIP, seems to be that of facilitating and encouraging excessive corporate power over governments all around the world.
The rise in arbitration claims filed by renewable energy investors under the Energy Charter Treaty
4-Nov-2015 Lexology
The number of claims filed by renewable energy investors under the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) has risen significantly.
ISDS: courting foreign investors
7-Oct-2015 S2B
Why the Commission’s proposal for an “Investment Court System” still fails to address the key problems of foreign investors’ privileges
Resisting the ‘law of greed’
11-Sep-2015 Green Agenda
There has been an explosive increase of cases of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). Modern investor-state disputes often revolve around public policy measures and implicate sensitive issues such as health and environmental protection
Commission won’t ask EU judges to decide on legality of ISDS
8-Sep-2015 Euractiv
The European Commission will not ask EU judges to decide on the legality of the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism in free trade agreements.
Spain facing compensation bill of billions over renewables cuts
7-Aug-2015 El País
Spain has suffered its first setback in an international arbitration process over its cuts to renewable energy subsidies.
The obscure legal system that lets corporations sue countries
10-Jun-2015 The Guardian
Fifty years ago, an international legal system was created to protect the rights of foreign investors. Today, as companies win billions in damages, insiders say it has got dangerously out of control