Call for papers: Is a Multilateral Investment Treaty Needed? (Berno, czerwiec 2017)

World Trade Institute zaprasza do udziału w międzynarodowej konferencji naukowej zatytułowanej "Is a Multilateral Investment Treaty Needed?", która odbędzie się w Bernie dnia 19 czerwca 2017 r. Organizatorzy są szczególnie zainteresowani następującymi problemami badawczymi:

• Do investment agreements – whether bilateral, plurilateral or multilateral – promote foreign investment? If so, what type of investment?
• What are the benefits and disadvantages of a multilateral agreement compared to bilateral or plurilateral approaches?
• If needed or deemed feasible, what level of multilateral negotiation is desirable? Should a multilateral treaty focus solely on the protection of investor and host state rights? Should it also address liberalization matters? Or should it solely focus on the means to settle investment disputes? Can we have a multilateral investment court without a multilateral investment agreement?
• Does the fact that investment flows from developing countries have increased in recent years, affect the chances of a successful negotiation of a multilateral investment treaty?
• Who should be responsible for the conduct and implementation of such multilateral agreement(s)? What would be the most desirable and legitimizing negotiating settings?
• Should countries seek an agreement on a relatively smaller scale (such as the OECD’s failed MAI), or should they aim to involve the larger number of countries that are members of the WTO or some other global bodies, like the UN?
• What are the main differences between a standing investment court system and the ad hoc ISDS process? Does the investment court system properly address the shortcomings of ISDS? Or does it create another type of ‘bias’ in favour of States? Are any of these systems necessary at all?

Propozycje referatów (300-500 słów) można przesyłać do 1 kwietnia 2017 r. Więcej szczegółów jest dostępnych tu.