Investor privileges (ISDS)

UK gas company Ascent Resources is threatening to sue Slovenia for €120 million under the Energy Charter Treaty. Why? Just because the Slovenian government demanded an environmental impact assessment for a controversial fracking project.

To keep temperature rises below 1.5oC, the EU needs to decommission existing gas infrastructure as well as stop building new fossil gas infrastructure. But the gas industry has a powerful weapon to stop this happening: the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT).

Amidst growing concerns that the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) undermines urgent climate action, its corporate profiteers are spewing propaganda. Cut through the rhetoric with our myth-busting guide to the ECT.

As governments take action to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent economic collapse big law firms urge corportions to challenge governments' emergency measures in order to defend its profits. In a parallel corporate justice system called ISDS states could soon face multi-million dollar lawsuits.

The Energy Charter Treaty is becoming increasingly controversial – not least because of its potential to obstruct the energy transition. Nonetheless, many countries, particularly in the global south, are in the process of joining this dangerous agreement.

The EU-UK trade talks begin with the UK objective to use the corporate-friendly EU-Canada agreement CETA as a template. This is not a good start for democracy nor the public interest.

German coal giant Uniper is threatening to sue the Netherlands under the Energy Charter Treaty - over a law to phase out coal. But opposition to the obscure treaty is growing.

In Croatia, Italy and Romania communities have stopped dirty oil drilling, toxic mines and other disastrous corporate projects. Now, big business might get its way in ISDS corporate courts. But the local communities continue to stand strong.

The ISDS parallel justice system for big business is again and again used as a corporate weapon against the public interest. 10 recent cases from around the world show how the red carpet courts continue to thrive and reinforce injustice across the world.

Any future EU-UK trade agreement post-Brexit will have to deal with the financial sector. And the financial lobby has been pushing its own model for long. Their risky plans on 'regulatory cooperation' are uncovered in this report from Corporate Europe Observatory, LobbyControl, Observatoire des Multinationales and SpinWatch.

"Wait a minute. I don’t really get what ISDS is. ...." Here is our straightforward "What is What" on Investor-State Dispute Settlement - and why it's so dangerous. Under ISDS corporations and the rich have sued governments for billions of euros – for anything from introducing health warnings on cigarettes to banning dirty oil drilling. Citizens, campaigners and social movements are uniting in 2019 to put an end to this parallel justice system for big business.

Whenever a government passes a law which could potentially affect profits, the ISDS system enables companies to hit back with lawsuits for damages - often worth billions of euros. Under the ISDS (Investor-State Dispute Settlement) system, corporations have already sued countries for anything from introducing health warnings on cigarettes to placing a moratorium on fracking.