Crimea\u27s Secession from Ukraine and Accession to the Russian Federation as an Instance of North(-West) v. South(-East) Divide in the Understanding of International Law

Crimea\u27s Secession from Ukraine and Accession to the Russian Federation as an Instance of North(-West) v. South(-East) Divide in the Understanding of International La

Rubicon or Maginot? : what's the line on Dutch resistance to post-pandemic recovery plans?

Published online July 21st, 2020Why were the Dutch so reluctant to endorse a post-pandemic economic recovery package for the EU, such as the one proposed by the Commission, backed by France and Germany, chiefly insisted upon by Italy and Spain, and agreed by most other EU members

Economic integration via novel investment agreements : CAI’s focus on market access vis-à-vis the current bilateral investment treaties between China and European Union member states

Published online: 05 Aug 2022The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) features limited substantive ‘traditional’ guarantees for foreign investors but contains original liberalization commitments that go beyond the otherwise common ‘admission’ promise, or the less common ‘establishment’ commitment, to regulate ‘market access’ – a unicorn in the field. By focusing on this aspect, the analysis makes reference to a) the current legal and policy framework of both EU and China, b) their respective international investment agreement (IIA) policies, and c) the bilateral investment treaties between China and EU member States. The CAI reveals a sui generis character as, in addition to its novel focus, it consolidates the EU tendency to drawing from other fields, including trade law, environmental law, labour law, sustainable development, and public international law. Considering CAI’s departure from established models, and its specific scope and context, the agreement may not contribute significantly to the development of the design and evolution of substantive rights afforded to foreign investors in IIAs