Investment Facilitation Agreements and their Potential to Enable a Just European Investment Policy

Investment Facilitation Agreements and their Potential to Enable a Just European Investment Policy

Transregional Just Transition Governance

UNCTAD recently reiterated the growing investment gap that exists in order to implement the Sustainable Development Goals in line with its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is currently estimated at US$4.2 trillion per year, up from approximately US$2.5 trillion in 2015. (UNCTAD/DIAE/PCB/2022/3)

This project examines the role Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreements take in implementing a Just European Investment Policy. The European Union is a strong advocate of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and has on multiple occasions emphasized its capacity and willingness to become a global leader in implementing an innovative, just investment framework.

The Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement (SIFA) concluded between the EU and Angola, which came into force in 2024, is the most ambitious attempt to date to fulfil this role with regard to international investment agreements (IAAs). The agreement diverges from the earlier IAAs the European Union has concluded in multiple ways, most importantly omitting traditional investor protection rights and binding the contracting parties to multilateral agreements like the Paris Agreement.

Vortrag auf der Konferenz „Postfossile Zukünfte"

The project seeks to explore the potential and limitations the SIFA possesses analyzing the legal dynamics and implications for the signatories. It will examine, whether the agreement could serve as a template for EU investment agreements, and place the agreement in the context of intra-European and global socio-legal and economic challenges.

  • How can we overcome the investment gap to achieve a just transition?
  • What can the EU as a regional actor contribute to a global change in policy design?
  • What should the EU aim to introduce to further investment facilitation treaty negotiations that are currently underway?

Current Research Focus

Examination of the concept of sustainable development in the investment policy of the European Union.

Critical examination of the European Union’s new SIFA model agreement.

Discussion of the relationship between EU investment facilitation agreements and traditional investment protection agreements, in particular those of the member states.

 

 

Publikationen

Team

Chiara Gemoll

Research Associate
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