Conference: The EU and Investment Arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty

On February 11-12, 2016, the Centre for European and International Legal Affairs at Queen Mary University of London School of Law will host a conference on "The EU and Investment Arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty." Here's the idea:

The conference will bring together legal experts, practitioners and policy-makers to discuss the interaction of EU law with investment arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty. The objective is to set out and assess the legal and practical arrangements, which govern the involvement of the European Union (EU) and its Member States in investment arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). It aims to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the topic and explore the broader implications of the application of the investment provisions of the ECT on i) the integrity of EU law and ii) international investment law and, in light of the above, iii) assess the added value of the ECT for energy investments.

Addressing these questions, the conference is divided into three parts. Part I will focus on the “intra-EU” aspects of investment arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty. The papers in this part will assess how investment tribunals deal with EU law and also look into the compatibility of the intra-EU application of the ECT with EU law. Part II will focus on the “extra-EU” aspects of the Energy Charter Treaty. It will explore how recent developments in EU investment policy affect it, focusing among other on the implications of the new EU FDI competence and the autonomy of EU law as well as into the question when and how the EU and its Member States bear international responsibility and can be parties to “extra-EU” investment arbitration. Part III will examine the added value of “intra-EU” and “extra-EU” investment protection under the ECT. Contributions in this part will explore the protection of energy investments under EU law and the ECT, addressing if and why the ECT as a sectoral investment agreement is still needed for the protection of energy investments in Europe.