EU adopts rules to manage investment disputes

The European Union (EU) Thursday adopted a Regulation to manage disputes with trading partners under the EU's investment agreements, according to a press release.

The rules in the Regulation are a necessary component of a common EU investment policy which set up the EU's internal framework for managing future investor-state disputes, the press release published by the European Commission said.

They define who is best placed to defend the EU?s and Member States? interests in the event of any challenge under investor-to- state dispute in EU trade agreements and the Energy Charter Treaty.

The rules also establish the principles for allocating any eventual costs or compensation.

"This Regulation represents another building block in our efforts to develop a transparent, accountable and balanced investor-to state dispute settlement mechanism as part of EU trade and investment policy," said EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht.