Amici curiae are individuals or organisations who do not have the right to participate in the dispute as parties but want to intervene because the outcome of the proceedings may affect their interests. The participation of amici in investor-state arbitration has been justified as a useful tool...

One of the sharpest ideological frictions that characterises modern societies is the one that opposes supporters and opponents of trade and investment liberalisation policies. The existence of mixed empirical findings underscores the importance of avoiding general assertions about the benefits...

Over the last several years impact assessment studies have become a standard tool in trade and investment policymaking processes. Within the European Union there are two types of studies that examine the impact of trade policies: Impact Assessments (IAs) and Sustainability Impact Assessments...

The attraction of foreign investment, particularly in the field of infrastructure building and maintenance, plays a central role in the development of Timor-Leste. This paper discusses the advantages and potential risks of using international investment agreements as a tool to promote foreign...

Investor-state arbitration was created with the hope of depoliticizing investment disputes. However, the adoption of the traditional party-appointment system, in which disputing parties play a direct role in the composition of the tribunal, is increasingly criticized. Many believe that party...

Amicus curiae is a developing feature of modern international investment arbitration. This chapter starts by describing how investment arbitration shifted from a confidentiality-based practice to a model that is more open to the participation of civil society. It then proceeds to discuss the...

Involvement in international cooperation platforms is one of China's key interests. One of the most important vectors of this policy concerns the promotion of high-level contacts between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, especially Angola and Mozambique, two of China's most important...