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ENFORCEABILITY OF UMBRELLA CLAUSES BY INVESTMENT ARBITRATION TRIBUNALS

Year 2024, Volume: 19 Issue: 1, 85 - 107, 30.04.2024

Abstract

Over the last few decades, one of the most contentious issues of the international investment law has been the interpretation of the ‘umbrella clauses’. Since the umbrella clauses are generally vague, short and hidden in international investment agreements, the interpretation of the clause is in a controversial position and thereby having been subject to the scholarly interest. Should umbrella clauses in international investment agreements be enforceable by arbitration tribunals? Or to what extent investor’s claims stemming from a contractual bre-ach could be enforceable by arbitration tribunals? SGS v Pakistan and SGS v Philippines have addressed these questions and reached opposite decisions. This article aims to examine the contradictory arbitral deci-sions and to discuss broad and restrictive approaches. The article begins with a brief review of umbrella clauses. Then, it analyses leading arbitral cases with the help of scholar views in order to shed the light on critical aspects of the issue.

References

  • SGS v. Pakistan, ICSID Case No. ARB/01/13 (6 Aug 2003), https://www.italaw.com/cases/1009, 07.03.2023.
  • SGS v. Philippines, ICSID Case No. ARB/02/6 (29 Jan 2004), https://www.italaw.com/cases/1018, 07.03.2023.
  • Joy Mining Machinery Limited v. The Arab Republic of Egypt, ICSID Case No. ARB/03/11, Award on Jurisdiction, (6 August 2004), https://www.italaw.com/cases/590, 07.03.2023.
  • Salini Costruttori S.p.A. & Italstrade S.p.A. v. Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, ICSID Case No. ARB/02/13, Decision on Jurisdiction (9 Nov 2004), https://www.italaw.com/cases/954, 07.03.2023.
  • CMS Gas Transmission Co. v. Argentina, ICSID Case No. ARB/01/8 (12 May 2005), https://www.italaw.com/cases/288, 07.03.2023.
  • Eureko v. Poland, Partial Award, (19 Aug 2005), https://www. ita-law.com/cases/412, 07.03.2023.
  • Noble Ventures v. Romania, ICSID Case no. ARB/01/11 (12 Oct 2005), https://www.italaw.com/cases/747, 07.03.2023.
  • El Paso Energy v. Argentina, ICSID Case No. ARB/03/15, Decision on Jurisdiction (27 April 2006), https://www.italaw.com /cases/382, 07.03.2023.
  • Pan American/BP v. Argentina, ICSID Case No. ARB/04/8, Decision on Preliminary Objections (27 July 2006), https://www.italaw.com /cases/172, 07.03.2023.
  • LG &E Energy Corp., LG&E Capital Corp. & LG&E Int’l Inc. v. Argentina, ICSID Case No. ARB/02/1, Decision on Liability (3 Oct 2006), https://www.italaw.com/cases/621, 07.03.2023.
  • Siemens A.G. v. Argentina, ICSID Case No. ARB/02/8 (17 Jan 2007), https://www.italaw.com/cases/1026, 07.03.2023.
  • Sempra v. Argentina, ICSID Case No. ARB/02/16 (28 Sept 2007), https://www.italaw.com/cases/1002, 07.03.2023.
  • Duke Energy v. Ecuador, ICSID Case No. ARB/04/19 (18 Aug 2008), https://www.italaw.com/cases/356, 07.03.2023.
  • Plama Concortium Limited v. Republic of Bulgaria, ICSID Case No. ARB/03/24 (27 Aug 2008), https://www.italaw.com/cases/ 857, 07.03.2023.
  • Bureau Veritas, Inspection, Valuation, Assessment and Control, BIVAC B.V. v. The Republic of Paraguay, ICSID Case No. ARB/07/9, Deci-sion of the Tribunal on Objections to Jurisdiction, (29 May 2009), https://www.italaw.com/cases/179, 07.03.2023.
  • Toto Construzioni Generali S.p.A. v. The Republic of Lebanon, ICSID Case No. ARB/07/12, Decision on Jurisdiction (11 Sept 2009), https://www.italaw.com/cases/1108, 07.03.2023.
  • Bosh Int’l Inc v. Ukraine, ICSID Case No. ARB/08/11 (25 Oct 2012), https://www.italaw.com/cases/1563, 07.03.2023.
  • Blackaby, Nigel and others. Redfern and Hunter on International Arbit-ration. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Sixth Edition, 2015.
  • Collins, David. An Introduction to International Investment Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016.
  • Dolzer, Rudolf and Margrete Stevens. Bilateral Investment Treaties. The Hague, Boston, London: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1995.
  • Dolzer, Rudolf and Christoph Schreuer. Principles of International In-vestment Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
  • Schefer, Krista Nadakavukaren. International Investment Law: Text, Cases and Materials. Cheltenham, UK, Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, Second Edition, 2016.
  • Alexandrov, Stanimir A. “Breaches of Contract and Breaches of Treaty: The Jurisdiction of Treaty-Based Arbitration Tribunals to Decide Breach of Contract Claims in SGS v Pakistan and SGS v Philippi-nes”. The Journal of World Investment & Trade. 5 (2004): 555-577.
  • Ballintine, Kathryn. “How Far Do Bits Bite- A Comparison of SGS v. Pa-kistan and SGS v. Philippines: Interpreting Umbrella Clauses in Bilateral Investment Treaties” Cambridge Student Law Review. 2 (2006): 33-44.
  • Costamagna, Francesco. “Investor’ Rights and State Regulatory Auto-nomy: The Role of the Legitimate Expectation Principle in the CMS v Argentina Case”. Transnational Dispute Management. 3 (2006). https://www.transnational-dispute-management.com/ article.asp?key=720 (22.02.2022)
  • Fleury, Raul Pereira De Souza. “Treaty-Protected Investment Agree-ments: Of Umbrella Clauses and Privity of Contract”. Willamette Journal of International Law and Dispute Resolution. 23/2 (2016): 319-333.
  • Footer, Mary E. “Umbrella Clauses and Widely Formulated Arbitration Clauses: Discerning the Limits of ICSID Jurisdiction”. The Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals. 16 (2017): 87-107.
  • Foster, David. “Umbrella Clauses: A Retreat from the Philippines”. In-ternational Arbitration Law Review. 9 (2006): 100-108.
  • Gadelshina, Elvira R. “Hermeneutic Reflections on the Specific Purpose of Umbrella Clauses”. The Journal of World Investment & Trade. 14 (2013): 804-828.
  • Gill, Judith. “Contractual Claims and Bilateral Investment Treaties”. Journal of International Arbitration. 21/5 (2004): 397-412.
  • Happ, Richard. “Dispute Settlement under the Energy Charter Treaty”. German Year Book of International Law. 45 (2002): 331-362.
  • Happ, Richard and Noah Rubins, “Awards and Decisions of ICSID (W. Bank) Tribunals in 2004”. German Year Book of International Law. 47 (2004): 878-921.
  • Jonckheere, Katherine. “Practical Implications from an Expansive In-terpretation of Umbrella Clauses in International Investment Law”. South Carolina Journal of International Law & Business. 11 (2015): 143-161.
  • Karl, Joachim. “The Promotion and Protection of German Foreign In-vestment Abroad”. ICSID Review - Foreign Investment Law Jo-urnal. 11/1 (Spring, 1996): 1-36.
  • Li, Siqing. “Convergence of WTO Dispute Settlement and Investor-State Arbitration: A Closer Look at Umbrella Clauses”. Chicago Journal of International Law. 19/1 (2018): 189-232.
  • Mann, F. A. “British Treaties for the Promotion and Protection of In-vestments”. British Yearbook of International Law. 52/1 (1981): 241-254.
  • Naniwadekar, Mihir C. “The Scope and Effect of Umbrella Clauses: The Need for a Theory of Deference?”. Trade, Law and Development. 2/1, (Spring, 2010): 169-194
  • Oniyinde, Omolade Adeyemi and Tosin Ezekiel Ayo. “The Protection of Energy Investments under Umbrella Clauses in Bilateral Invest-ment Treaties: A Mith or a Reality?”. Journal of Law, Policy and Globalization. 61 (2017): 161-169.
  • Potts, Jonathan B. “Stabilizing the Role of Umbrella Clauses in Bilateral Investment Treaties: Intent, Reliance, and Internationalization”. Virginia Journal of International Law. 51/4 (2011): 1005-1045.
  • Rowe, Samantha and Svetlana Portman. “Current Trends in ‘Umbrella Clause’ Claims Arising From Breaches of Contractual Obligati-ons”. International Bar Association. (June 2021), https:// www.ibanet.org/current-trends-umbrella-clause-claims (22.02.2022).
  • Salatino, Gregorio. “Overview of Umbrella Clauses”, Business Law In-ternational. 13/1 (2012): 51-62.
  • Sarkinovic, Taida Begic. “Umbrella Clauses an Their Policy Implicati-ons”. Hague Yearbook of International Law. 24 (2011): 313-357.
  • Schill, Stephan W. “Enabling Private Ordering: Function, Scope and Ef-fect of Umbrella Clauses in International Investment Treaties”. Minnesota Journal of International Law. 18 (2009): 1-97.
  • Schreuer, Christoph. “Travelling the BIT-Route-Of Waiting Periods, Umbrella Clauses and Forks in the Road”. The Journal of World Investment & Trade. 5/2 (2004): 231-256.
  • Schreuer, Christoph, “Investment Treaty Arbitration and Jurisdiction over Contract Claims-the Vivendi I Case Considered”. In Interna-tional Investment Law and Arbirtation: Leading Cases from the ICSID, NAFTA, Bilateral Treaties and Customary International Law, ed. Todd Weiler, 281-323. London: Cameron May, 2005.
  • Van Harten, Gus. “The Public-Private Distinction in the International Arbitration of Individual Claims against the State”. International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 56 (2007): 371-393.
  • Wälde, Thomas W., “Investment Arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty: An Overview of Selected Key Issues based on Recent Liti-gation Experience”. In Arbitrating Foreign Investment Disputes, ed. Norbert
  • Horn, Stefan Kröll, 193-237. Kluwer Law Internatio-nal, 2004.
  • Wong, Jarrod. “Umbrella Clauses in Bilateral Investment Treaties: Of Breaches of Contract, Treaty Violations, and the Divide between Developing and Developed Countries in Foreign Investment Dis-putes”. George Mason Law Review. 14 (2006): 135-177.
  • Yannaca-Small, Katia, “What About This Umbrella Clause”. In Arbitra-tion Under International Investment Agreements, ed. Katia Yan-naca-Small, 479-503. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.
  • Zivkovic, Velimir. “Contracts, Treaties and Umbrella Clauses: Some Jurisdictional Issues in International Arbitration”. Belgrade Law Review. 3 (2012): 345-360.

Şemsiye Klozların Yatırım Tahkim Mahkemeleri Tarafından Uygulanabilirliği

Year 2024, Volume: 19 Issue: 1, 85 - 107, 30.04.2024

Abstract

Son birkaç on yılda, uluslararası yatırım hukukunun en tartışmalı konularından biri, 'şemsiye klozların' yorumlanması olmuştur. Ulusla-rarası yatırım anlaşmalarında şemsiye klozlar genellikle muğlak, kısa ve gizli olduğundan, klozun yorumlanması tartışmalıdır ve bu nedenle akademik ilgiye konu olmuştur. Uluslararası yatırım anlaşmalarındaki şemsiye klozlar, tahkim mahkemeleri tarafından uygulanabilir olmalı mıdır? Ya da, yatırımcının sözleşme ihlalinden kaynaklanan iddiaları, tahkim mahkemeleri tarafından ne ölçüde uygulanabilir? SGS v Pakistan ve SGS v Philippines davaları bu soruları ele almışlar ve karşıt kararlara varmışlardır. Bu makale, çelişkili tahkim kararlarını incelemeyi ve ge-niş ve sınırlayıcı yaklaşımları tartışmayı amaçlamaktadır. Makale, şem-siye klozların kısa bir incelemesi ile başlamaktadır. Ardından, konunun kritik yönlerine ışık tutmak için önde gelen tahkim davalarını akade-mik görüşler yardımıyla analiz etmektedir.

Ethical Statement

Bulunmamaktadır.

Supporting Institution

Bulunmamaktadır.

Thanks

Bulunmamaktadır.

References

  • SGS v. Pakistan, ICSID Case No. ARB/01/13 (6 Aug 2003), https://www.italaw.com/cases/1009, 07.03.2023.
  • SGS v. Philippines, ICSID Case No. ARB/02/6 (29 Jan 2004), https://www.italaw.com/cases/1018, 07.03.2023.
  • Joy Mining Machinery Limited v. The Arab Republic of Egypt, ICSID Case No. ARB/03/11, Award on Jurisdiction, (6 August 2004), https://www.italaw.com/cases/590, 07.03.2023.
  • Salini Costruttori S.p.A. & Italstrade S.p.A. v. Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, ICSID Case No. ARB/02/13, Decision on Jurisdiction (9 Nov 2004), https://www.italaw.com/cases/954, 07.03.2023.
  • CMS Gas Transmission Co. v. Argentina, ICSID Case No. ARB/01/8 (12 May 2005), https://www.italaw.com/cases/288, 07.03.2023.
  • Eureko v. Poland, Partial Award, (19 Aug 2005), https://www. ita-law.com/cases/412, 07.03.2023.
  • Noble Ventures v. Romania, ICSID Case no. ARB/01/11 (12 Oct 2005), https://www.italaw.com/cases/747, 07.03.2023.
  • El Paso Energy v. Argentina, ICSID Case No. ARB/03/15, Decision on Jurisdiction (27 April 2006), https://www.italaw.com /cases/382, 07.03.2023.
  • Pan American/BP v. Argentina, ICSID Case No. ARB/04/8, Decision on Preliminary Objections (27 July 2006), https://www.italaw.com /cases/172, 07.03.2023.
  • LG &E Energy Corp., LG&E Capital Corp. & LG&E Int’l Inc. v. Argentina, ICSID Case No. ARB/02/1, Decision on Liability (3 Oct 2006), https://www.italaw.com/cases/621, 07.03.2023.
  • Siemens A.G. v. Argentina, ICSID Case No. ARB/02/8 (17 Jan 2007), https://www.italaw.com/cases/1026, 07.03.2023.
  • Sempra v. Argentina, ICSID Case No. ARB/02/16 (28 Sept 2007), https://www.italaw.com/cases/1002, 07.03.2023.
  • Duke Energy v. Ecuador, ICSID Case No. ARB/04/19 (18 Aug 2008), https://www.italaw.com/cases/356, 07.03.2023.
  • Plama Concortium Limited v. Republic of Bulgaria, ICSID Case No. ARB/03/24 (27 Aug 2008), https://www.italaw.com/cases/ 857, 07.03.2023.
  • Bureau Veritas, Inspection, Valuation, Assessment and Control, BIVAC B.V. v. The Republic of Paraguay, ICSID Case No. ARB/07/9, Deci-sion of the Tribunal on Objections to Jurisdiction, (29 May 2009), https://www.italaw.com/cases/179, 07.03.2023.
  • Toto Construzioni Generali S.p.A. v. The Republic of Lebanon, ICSID Case No. ARB/07/12, Decision on Jurisdiction (11 Sept 2009), https://www.italaw.com/cases/1108, 07.03.2023.
  • Bosh Int’l Inc v. Ukraine, ICSID Case No. ARB/08/11 (25 Oct 2012), https://www.italaw.com/cases/1563, 07.03.2023.
  • Blackaby, Nigel and others. Redfern and Hunter on International Arbit-ration. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Sixth Edition, 2015.
  • Collins, David. An Introduction to International Investment Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016.
  • Dolzer, Rudolf and Margrete Stevens. Bilateral Investment Treaties. The Hague, Boston, London: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1995.
  • Dolzer, Rudolf and Christoph Schreuer. Principles of International In-vestment Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
  • Schefer, Krista Nadakavukaren. International Investment Law: Text, Cases and Materials. Cheltenham, UK, Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, Second Edition, 2016.
  • Alexandrov, Stanimir A. “Breaches of Contract and Breaches of Treaty: The Jurisdiction of Treaty-Based Arbitration Tribunals to Decide Breach of Contract Claims in SGS v Pakistan and SGS v Philippi-nes”. The Journal of World Investment & Trade. 5 (2004): 555-577.
  • Ballintine, Kathryn. “How Far Do Bits Bite- A Comparison of SGS v. Pa-kistan and SGS v. Philippines: Interpreting Umbrella Clauses in Bilateral Investment Treaties” Cambridge Student Law Review. 2 (2006): 33-44.
  • Costamagna, Francesco. “Investor’ Rights and State Regulatory Auto-nomy: The Role of the Legitimate Expectation Principle in the CMS v Argentina Case”. Transnational Dispute Management. 3 (2006). https://www.transnational-dispute-management.com/ article.asp?key=720 (22.02.2022)
  • Fleury, Raul Pereira De Souza. “Treaty-Protected Investment Agree-ments: Of Umbrella Clauses and Privity of Contract”. Willamette Journal of International Law and Dispute Resolution. 23/2 (2016): 319-333.
  • Footer, Mary E. “Umbrella Clauses and Widely Formulated Arbitration Clauses: Discerning the Limits of ICSID Jurisdiction”. The Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals. 16 (2017): 87-107.
  • Foster, David. “Umbrella Clauses: A Retreat from the Philippines”. In-ternational Arbitration Law Review. 9 (2006): 100-108.
  • Gadelshina, Elvira R. “Hermeneutic Reflections on the Specific Purpose of Umbrella Clauses”. The Journal of World Investment & Trade. 14 (2013): 804-828.
  • Gill, Judith. “Contractual Claims and Bilateral Investment Treaties”. Journal of International Arbitration. 21/5 (2004): 397-412.
  • Happ, Richard. “Dispute Settlement under the Energy Charter Treaty”. German Year Book of International Law. 45 (2002): 331-362.
  • Happ, Richard and Noah Rubins, “Awards and Decisions of ICSID (W. Bank) Tribunals in 2004”. German Year Book of International Law. 47 (2004): 878-921.
  • Jonckheere, Katherine. “Practical Implications from an Expansive In-terpretation of Umbrella Clauses in International Investment Law”. South Carolina Journal of International Law & Business. 11 (2015): 143-161.
  • Karl, Joachim. “The Promotion and Protection of German Foreign In-vestment Abroad”. ICSID Review - Foreign Investment Law Jo-urnal. 11/1 (Spring, 1996): 1-36.
  • Li, Siqing. “Convergence of WTO Dispute Settlement and Investor-State Arbitration: A Closer Look at Umbrella Clauses”. Chicago Journal of International Law. 19/1 (2018): 189-232.
  • Mann, F. A. “British Treaties for the Promotion and Protection of In-vestments”. British Yearbook of International Law. 52/1 (1981): 241-254.
  • Naniwadekar, Mihir C. “The Scope and Effect of Umbrella Clauses: The Need for a Theory of Deference?”. Trade, Law and Development. 2/1, (Spring, 2010): 169-194
  • Oniyinde, Omolade Adeyemi and Tosin Ezekiel Ayo. “The Protection of Energy Investments under Umbrella Clauses in Bilateral Invest-ment Treaties: A Mith or a Reality?”. Journal of Law, Policy and Globalization. 61 (2017): 161-169.
  • Potts, Jonathan B. “Stabilizing the Role of Umbrella Clauses in Bilateral Investment Treaties: Intent, Reliance, and Internationalization”. Virginia Journal of International Law. 51/4 (2011): 1005-1045.
  • Rowe, Samantha and Svetlana Portman. “Current Trends in ‘Umbrella Clause’ Claims Arising From Breaches of Contractual Obligati-ons”. International Bar Association. (June 2021), https:// www.ibanet.org/current-trends-umbrella-clause-claims (22.02.2022).
  • Salatino, Gregorio. “Overview of Umbrella Clauses”, Business Law In-ternational. 13/1 (2012): 51-62.
  • Sarkinovic, Taida Begic. “Umbrella Clauses an Their Policy Implicati-ons”. Hague Yearbook of International Law. 24 (2011): 313-357.
  • Schill, Stephan W. “Enabling Private Ordering: Function, Scope and Ef-fect of Umbrella Clauses in International Investment Treaties”. Minnesota Journal of International Law. 18 (2009): 1-97.
  • Schreuer, Christoph. “Travelling the BIT-Route-Of Waiting Periods, Umbrella Clauses and Forks in the Road”. The Journal of World Investment & Trade. 5/2 (2004): 231-256.
  • Schreuer, Christoph, “Investment Treaty Arbitration and Jurisdiction over Contract Claims-the Vivendi I Case Considered”. In Interna-tional Investment Law and Arbirtation: Leading Cases from the ICSID, NAFTA, Bilateral Treaties and Customary International Law, ed. Todd Weiler, 281-323. London: Cameron May, 2005.
  • Van Harten, Gus. “The Public-Private Distinction in the International Arbitration of Individual Claims against the State”. International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 56 (2007): 371-393.
  • Wälde, Thomas W., “Investment Arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty: An Overview of Selected Key Issues based on Recent Liti-gation Experience”. In Arbitrating Foreign Investment Disputes, ed. Norbert
  • Horn, Stefan Kröll, 193-237. Kluwer Law Internatio-nal, 2004.
  • Wong, Jarrod. “Umbrella Clauses in Bilateral Investment Treaties: Of Breaches of Contract, Treaty Violations, and the Divide between Developing and Developed Countries in Foreign Investment Dis-putes”. George Mason Law Review. 14 (2006): 135-177.
  • Yannaca-Small, Katia, “What About This Umbrella Clause”. In Arbitra-tion Under International Investment Agreements, ed. Katia Yan-naca-Small, 479-503. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.
  • Zivkovic, Velimir. “Contracts, Treaties and Umbrella Clauses: Some Jurisdictional Issues in International Arbitration”. Belgrade Law Review. 3 (2012): 345-360.
There are 51 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects International Arbitration
Journal Section Özel Hukuk
Authors

Banu Fatma Günarslan 0000-0003-3033-5533

Publication Date April 30, 2024
Published in Issue Year 2024 Volume: 19 Issue: 1

Cite

Chicago Günarslan, Banu Fatma. “ENFORCEABILITY OF UMBRELLA CLAUSES BY INVESTMENT ARBITRATION TRIBUNALS”. Erciyes Üniversitesi Hukuk Fakültesi Dergisi 19, no. 1 (April 2024): 85-107.

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