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...

This chapter examines the present-day level of transparency in European trade and investment negotiations. It argues that the level of transparency adopted by the European Commission, while open to improvement, is already quite satisfactory. The current practice strikes a sensible balance...

The WTO’s Appellate Body is a standing body composed of 7 members whose mandate is to hear appeals from panel cases. While it is a permanent body, the members of the Appellate Body are not appointed full-time. This regime was based on the assumption that members would be called upon to hear...

The last decade witnessed the emergence of an international market for renewable energy. Foreign investment is particularly important in this field. Governments around the world have implemented economic support mechanisms to encourage private investment, leading a substantial number of...

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...

Over the past years, impact assessment studies became a regular feature of trade and investment policymaking processes. These studies collect quantitative and qualitative information on the connexion between proposed policies and their likely positive or negative consequences. This chapter...

This chapter introduces the book 'Wine Law and Policy: From National Terroirs to a Global Market'. This 26-chapter volume brings together leading academics and practitioners to examine how wine law and policy have gradually moved from national terroirs to a global market. It is the first...

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...

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...