Judicial Expropriation in International Investment Law

This article examines the notion of judicial takings in international law and its reflection in the practice of investment tribunals. It takes stock of the already significant body of arbitral jurisprudence dealing with expropriation claims grounded in, or relating to, the acts or omissions of courts, with a view to developing a coherent theory of judicial expropriations. It is suggested that, due to the courts’ specific role in the determination of the underlying proprietary rights that are the very object of international legal protection, judicial measures warrant different conceptual treatment from measures by other State organs. Traditional approaches to expropriation analysis do not take this sufficiently into account and therefore do not provide adequate tools for distinguishing legitimate judicial measures from undue interferences with investors’ rights. It is argued that a sui generis approach is hence needed: where proprietary rights are primarily affected by the impugned judicial action, it is first necessary to determine whether such action is itself wrongful under international law, for only then can it be treated as an act of expropriation. However, the proper analytical approach will ultimately depend on the circumstances of each case and traditional approaches, such as the sole effects doctrine, may still be appropriate where the judicial injury actually flows from wrongful legislative or executive conduct

Challenging Domestic Judgments Through Investment Arbitration: Implications for the Forced Labour Litigation in Korea?

This paper considers the international legal implications of certain civil lawsuits that recently resulted in Japanese companies being ordered to pay compensation to Korean victims of forced labour, focusing specifically on whether investor-state arbitration could provide a means of redress against judgments affecting those companies. After identifying the jurisdictional hurdles that those companies might face were they to challenge those judgments before an Arbitral Tribunal, this paper explores the most relevant treaty protection disciplines that could be relied upon in bringing such challenges, and discusses the remedies that a competent Arbitral Tribunal could prescribe were it to find that those judgments were not in conformity with Korea's international obligations. Building on existing jurisprudence, this paper shows that investment arbitration may provide a means for offsetting the adverse consequences of Korean forced labour litigation, but also highlights a number of difficulties that the Japanese companies would face in pursuing such an avenue

Analiza povezanosti pametnih mest s policijsko in kriminalistično dejavnostjo

Purpose: The main objective is to present the symbiosis between smart cities, policing, criminal investigation and criminal intelligence. Moreover, another purpose is to critically address the underlying privacy concerns arising from smart city designs. Design/Methods/Approach: The paper is theoretical in scope and utilises a literature review as the basic method. Correlations between smart cities, policing and criminal investigations are identified by analysing the applicability of core smart city technologies and services [SCTS]. Findings: It is evident that SCTS can influence policing styles and police effectiveness. SCTS hold great potential for criminal investigations and criminal intelligence as they provide information upon which police can develop investigations or crime-control strategies. Vice-versa, criminal investigations and criminal intelligence can provide guidelines for SCTS developers and the governance of smart cities. However, privacy concerns and the slowly developing regulatory framework remain the biggest issues when it comes to SCTS adoption, thus making measures to safeguard privacy a key factor for the legitimacy of smart cities and smart policing. Practical Implications: The paper introduces practical knowledge about the implications of smart cities for policing and crime investigation. Some research ideas are presented as well as suggestions for legislators, developers and others whose work area falls in the scope of (smart) city governance. Originality/Value: A comprehensive study of the symbiosis between smart cities and policing must not only consider the potential of SCTS but the related need to develop regulation and skillsets of human resources. Only a handful of papers address the connectivity of smart cities, criminal investigations and criminal intelligence from such a multidisciplinary scope. Therefore, the paper represents a contribution to works discussing these concepts.Namen prispevka: Namen prispevka je predstaviti simbiozo med pametnimi mesti, policijsko dejavnostjo, kriminalističnim preiskovanjem in kriminalističnoobveščevalno dejavnostjo. V tem kontekstu je podan tudi kritični razmislek o izzivih in dilemah, povezanih z varstvom zasebnosti. Metode: Prispevek je teoretične narave in temelji na pregledu literature. Korelacije med temeljnimi pojmi (pametna mesta, policijska in kriminalistična dejavnost) smo identificirali z analizo temeljnih tehnologij, sistemov in storitev, ki podpirajo delovanje pametnih mest. Ugotovitve: Tehnologije pametnih mest omogočajo razvoj novih oblik policijskega dela in imajo potencial za izboljšanje policijske učinkovitosti. Funkcionalnost tehnologij je razvidna tudi na področju kriminalistične dejavnosti, ki lahko z obdelovanjem podatkov in njihovo uporabo bolje načrtuje kriminalistične preiskave in razvija strategije preprečevanja kriminalitete. Simbioza je opazna tudi z nasprotnega vidika – s podajanjem smernic lahko kriminalistična in policijska dejavnost pomagata upravljavcem pametnih mest in razvojnikom tehnologij ter rešitev. Glavni izziv predstavlja varovanje zasebnosti in osebnih podatkov prebivalcev, zato so mehanizmi za preprečevanje zlorab ključni faktor legitimnosti pametnih mest in policijske dejavnosti. Praktična uporabnost: V prispevku so predstavljena uporabna znanja glede potencialov pametnih mest za izvajanje policijske in kriminalistične dejavnosti, prav tako tudi predlogi za raziskovalce in oblikovalce politik, razvojnike in druge, ki delujejo na področju upravljanja (pametnih) mest. Izvirnost/pomembnost prispevka: Če želimo razumeti sistem dejavnikov, ki vplivajo na simbiozo med policijsko dejavnostjo in pametnimi mesti, je treba upoštevati ne samo potenciale različnih tehnologij in rešitev, temveč tudi potrebe in dileme, ki se pojavijo sočasno s tehnološkim razvojem, primarno na področju razvoja kadrovskih kompetenc in prilagoditve normativnih okvirjev. Pregled literature pokaže, da obstajajo redke znanstvene objave, ki multidimenzionalno proučujejo simbiozo pametnih mest in policijske dejavnosti. Prispevek zato dopolnjuje obstoječa dela in znanja na tem področju

Situation of the Slovenian Sawmill Sector in 2013/2014

The Slovenian sawmill industry has undergone numerous changes since the beginning of economic crisis in 2008, mainly due to the decline in production in the furniture and construction industry. Consequently the sawmill sector struggled for survival instead of investing in new technologies and implementing innovations. In the framework of the international IDWOOD project (taking place between 2012 and 2014), aiming to promote and foster innovation and competitiveness of SMEs in the wood sector in the SEE area, an analysis of the Slovenian sawmill sector was carried out in order to identifying major gaps. Concurrently similar analysis was also carried out in the neighbour regions of the SEE area (i.e. Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia). In the current article we would like to present the findings of the performed study. The results were compared with the situation of the sawmill industry in other SEE regions and advanced European countries

Domestic courts in investor-state arbitration : partners, suspects, competitors

This is a study about the roles that investment tribunals accord to domestic courts in the process of arbitrating disputes between States and foreign investors. It investigates the approaches taken and attitudes held towards domestic courts in the jurisprudence of arbitral tribunals – not only with a view to making sense of this ever-growing jurisprudence, but with the intent to developing a coherent theory on how domestic courts are perceived by international adjudicators. The argument advanced in this study is that these roles can essentially be conceptualized in three ways. First, as partners, in the sense that domestic courts can assist arbitral tribunals in the determination of certain points of fact, as well as of points of applicable domestic law. Second, as suspects, in the sense that their conduct may itself be injurious to the investor and its investment, and as such become the object of scrutiny by arbitral tribunals. And third, as competitors, in the sense that domestic courts, by providing an avenue for redressing injuries suffered by the investor at the hands of a host State’s authorities, can compete with arbitral tribunals as potential fora for resolving investment disputes. Exploring the Frontiers of International La

Uloga civilnog društva i zajednica u suzbijanju nasilnog ekstremizma i radikalizacije

Contemporary policies and initiatives aimed at addressing radicalisation and violent extremism aim to facilitate a systematic multi-stakeholder approach that encompasses the incorporation of civil society organisations. Despite the general recognition of various roles and potentials of non-state actors in the area of prevention and de-radicalisation, in practice, many challenges and knowledge-gaps are leading to a situation where civil society still represents an underused resource. This paper presents the potentials and capabilities of civil society and community organisations in countering violent extremism and radicalisation. Through an extensive literature review, we investigated good practices in joint collaborations, as well as practical limitations hindering the establishment of a whole-of-society approach. The central aim of this paper is to provide a clear picture of the current gaps and highlight conditions that need to be addressed in the future to facilitate a comprehensive and coordinated approach to countering violent extremism and radicalisation.Aktualne politike i inicijative usmjerene na suzbijanje radikalizacije i nasilnog ekstremizma potiču sustavan međuresorni pristup koji uključuje i organizacije civilnoga društva. Unatoč generalnom prepoznavanju različitih uloga i potencijala civilnog društva u području prevencije i deradikalizacije, u praksi je ipak puno izazova i neznanja što dovodi do toga da civilno društvo ostaje neiskorišteni resurs. U ovome radu prezentiramo potencijale i sposobnosti civilnog društva i njegovih organizacija i zajednica u suzbijanju nasilnog ekstremizma i radikalizacije. Kroz ekstenzivni pregled literature istražujemo dobre prakse u kolaboracijama, kao i ograničenja koja ometaju razvoj holističkog pristupa i angažmana cijelog društva u suzbijanju nasilnog ekstremizma i radikalizacije. Glavni je cilj ovoga rada pružiti jasnu sliku aktualnih propusta i uputiti na probleme koji se moraju rješavati kako bi u perspektivi bilo moguće postići sveobuhvatan i koordiniran pristup u suzbijanju nasilnog ekstremizma i radikalizacije