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Subject(s):
Law of treaties BITs (Bilateral Investment Treaties) International economic law Performance
requirements Investment in accordance with host state law Specialized treaty frameworks
From: Oxford Public International Law (http://opil.ouplaw.com). (c) Oxford University Press, 2015. All Rights Reserved. Subscriber:
Chinese University of Hong Kong; date: 06 January 2016
From: Oxford Public International Law (http://opil.ouplaw.com). (c) Oxford University Press, 2015. All Rights Reserved. Subscriber:
Chinese University of Hong Kong; date: 06 January 2016
payment of taxes, or transfer of funds. An overlap may exist in important areas such as capital or
performance requirements. The distinction between admission and establishment may be
important for treaties that allow for the right of admission but contain no regulation concerning
establishment.
From: Oxford Public International Law (http://opil.ouplaw.com). (c) Oxford University Press, 2015. All Rights Reserved. Subscriber:
Chinese University of Hong Kong; date: 06 January 2016
Treaties may refer to admission under the domestic laws of the host state, which may provide
requirements for admission. For treaties with no right of admission for the foreign investor, the local
laws of the host state will apply, and schemes of notification, registration, and various types of
approval mechanisms, including case-by-case screening, may have to be observed in accordance
with the specific laws of each host state. If the treaty provides for a right of admission and the
domestic rules are inconsistent with this right, an international tribunal will decide on the basis of
the international obligation of the host state. Tribunals have had to address the consequences of
non-compliance with admission regulations and the right of the investor to invoke a dispute
settlement provision.10
3. Performance requirements
Obligations imposed by the host state on the investor to conduct its business in a prescribed
manner (performance requirements) have mainly been prohibited in BITs concluded by the United
States and Canada. These clauses are directed against practicessuch as the compulsion to use
local materials, the duty to export a certain amount of products, and the obligation to hire local
personnelwhich may be imposed on foreign investors. These practices are deemed undesirable,
since they are inconsistent with the principle of liberal markets. A typical older clause to this effect
is found in the treaty between the United States and Cameroon:
Neither Party shall impose performance requirements as a condition of establishment,
expansion or maintenance of investments owned by nationals or companies of the other
Party, which require or enforce commitments to export goods produced, or which specify
that goods or services must be purchased locally, or which impose any other similar
requirements.11
References
(p. 91) The 2004 and 2012 US Model BITs address the issue in more detail:
Neither Party may, in connection with the establishment, acquisition, expansion,
management, conduct, operation, or sale or other disposition of an investment of an
investor of a Party or of a non-Party in its territory, impose or enforce any requirement or
enforce any commitment or undertaking: (a) to export a given level or percentage of
goods or services; (b) to achieve a given level or percentage of domestic content; (c) to
purchase, use, or accord a preference to goods produced in its territory, or to purchase
goods from persons in its territory; (d) to relate in any way the volume or value of imports
to the volume or value of exports or to the amount of foreign exchange inflows associated
with such investment; (e) to restrict sales of goods or services in its territory that such
investment produces or supplies by relating such sales in any way to the volume or value
of its exports or foreign exchange earnings; (f) to transfer a particular technology, a
production process, or other proprietary knowledge to a person in its territory; or (g) to
supply exclusively from the territory of the Party the goods that such investment produces
or the services that it supplies to a specific regional market or to the world market .12
More recently, variations of the clause have appeared and more states have included provisions
on performance requirements. Also, Article 1106 of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) contains a list of prohibited performance requirements similar to the US Model BITs.13
Despite the distinction between trade and investment, performance requirements were also
addressed in the context of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1994 in the framework of the
Agreement on Trade Related Investment Measures (TRIMs) which contains, in its Annex, an
illustrative list of prohibited performance requirements:
From: Oxford Public International Law (http://opil.ouplaw.com). (c) Oxford University Press, 2015. All Rights Reserved. Subscriber:
Chinese University of Hong Kong; date: 06 January 2016
1. TRIMs that are inconsistent with the obligation of national treatment include
those which require: (a) the purchase or use by an enterprise of products of
domestic
References
(p. 92) origin or from any domestic source, whether specified in terms of particular
products, in terms of volume or value of products, or in terms of a proportion of
volume or value of its local production; or (b) that an enterprises purchases or use
of imported products be limited to an amount related to the volume or value of local
products that it exports.
2. TRIMs that are inconsistent with the obligation of general elimination of
quantitative restrictions include those which restrict: (a) the importation by an
enterprise of products used in or related to its local production, generally or to an
amount related to the volume or value of local production that it exports; (b) the
importation by an enterprise of products used in or related to its local production by
restricting its access to foreign exchange to an amount related to the foreign
exchange inflows attributable to the enterprise; or (c) the exportation or sale for
export by an enterprise of products, whether specified in terms of particular
products, in terms of volume or value of products, or in terms of a proportion of
volume or value of its local production.
Issues of competing jurisdiction and of consistency would arise if such measures were to be
challenged both before the WTO dispute settlement system and before a tribunal with its
jurisdictional basis in a BIT.14 Furthermore, the admissibility of performance requirements applying
only to foreign investors remains to be clarified under the standard of national treatment.
With regard to the hiring and presence of non-local personnel to manage a foreign investment in
the host country, a few treaties contain language to the effect that applications by such persons
will receive sympathetic consideration15 or that quotas or numerical restrictions will not be allowed
in that context.16 As regards appointment of top personnel by the investor, some treaties recognize
this freedom, subject, however, to the laws of the host state.17
References
(p. 93) to act in good faith, especially for the purposes of state approval of the investment.19
The rules on admission may create obligations for the host state. At the same time, they may limit
the right of the investor to invoke the dispute settlement clause of a treaty in cases where the
investor ignores the rules on admission. Whenever a clause in accordance with the laws of the
host state is contained in a treaty, it may be understood to imply that investments made in violation
of national laws are not covered by the treaty. Therefore, the words in accordance with the laws
From: Oxford Public International Law (http://opil.ouplaw.com). (c) Oxford University Press, 2015. All Rights Reserved. Subscriber:
Chinese University of Hong Kong; date: 06 January 2016
relate not just to the laws on admission and establishment but also to other rules of the domestic
legal order, including those relating to corruption. As a result, investments made in violation of
domestic rules may be outside the substantive guarantees contained in the relevant agreement,
depending upon the nature and gravity of the violation.20
In Plama v Bulgaria,21 the claimant had misrepresented his role as investor to the host state in a
privatization agreement, leading the government to believe that the claimant had substantial
assets; in reality, the claimant had very limited resources and managerial capacity.22 The Tribunal
found that the claimants conduct amounted to deliberate concealment and to fraud. While the
Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), being the applicable treaty, does not contain a clause requiring
conformity with the laws of the host state, the Tribunal pointed to the rule of law as a fundamental
aim of the ECT and to the principle of good faith emanating from Bulgarian law and international law.
On this basis, the Tribunal denied the claimant the right to invoke the substantive rights of the
ECT.23
Alasdair Ross Anderson v Costa Rica24 concerned the claimants deposits in Costa Rica in a fund
run as a criminal Ponzi scheme in which incoming funds were not used as investments but as
payments to other depositors and the fund manager. While the claimants themselves had not
committed a crime, they had failed to exercise the kind of due diligence which a reasonable
investor would have undertaken to ensure compliance with local laws.25 As the applicable BIT
required such compliance, the Tribunal declined jurisdiction.
In Hamester v Ghana,26 the Tribunal stated that an investment will not be protected if it has been
created in violation of the national or international principles of good faith or of the host states law,
independent of the language of the BIT.27 This rule applies to conduct at the time of the initiation of
the investment, not to subsequent performance.28
References
(p. 94) Beyond the substantive scope of a treaty, the issue was bound to arise whether an in
accordance with host state law clause will also affect the right of an investor to invoke a provision
on dispute settlement. In Salini v Morocco,29 Article 1(1) of the applicable BIT defined the term
investment as all categories of assets invested in accordance with the laws and regulations of
the aforementioned party. The Tribunal rejected the argument advanced by the respondent
whereby Article 1(1) referred to the law of the host state for the definition of investment. In the
view of the Tribunal, the provision referred to the validity of the investment and not to its definition.
It found that such a provision seeks to prevent the Bilateral Treaty from protecting investments that
should not be protected, particularly because they would be illegal.30 No infringement of the laws
or regulations of the host state had been established in the case.
The applicable BIT in the Tokios Tokels31 case also defined the term investment as every kind
of asset invested by an investor of one Contracting Party in the territory of the other Contracting
Party in accordance with the laws and regulations of the latter. The respondent state argued that
the name under which the claimant had registered its local subsidy did not correspond to a
recognized legal form under Ukrainian law and that it had identified errors in the documents
provided by the investor, including the absence of necessary signatures or notarizations. For the
Tribunal, these irregularities did not affect the protection of the investment under the bilateral
treaty: relying on the decision in Salini v Morocco, the arbitrators found that the purpose of such
provisions was merely to prevent the Bilateral Treaty from protecting investments that should not
be protected, particularly because they would be illegal.32 Noting that the object and purpose of
investment treaties is to provide broad protection for investors and their investment33 and that the
governmental authorities of the respondent had registered the claimants subsidiary as a valid
enterprise, the Tribunal concluded:
Even if we were able to confirm the Respondents allegations, which would require a
searching examination of minute details of administrative procedures in Ukrainian law, to
From: Oxford Public International Law (http://opil.ouplaw.com). (c) Oxford University Press, 2015. All Rights Reserved. Subscriber:
Chinese University of Hong Kong; date: 06 January 2016
exclude an investment on the basis of such minor errors would be inconsistent with the
object and purpose of the Treaty. In our view, the Respondents registration of each of the
Claimants investments indicates that the investment in question was made in accordance
with the laws and regulations of Ukraine.34
In Desert Line v Yemen,35 the Tribunal emphasized that a host state which has for some time
tolerated a legal situation is thereafter precluded from insisting later, against the investor, that the
situation was unlawful from the beginning.36
References
(p. 95) In Railroad Development v Guatemala,37 arising under the rules of the Central America
Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), the claimants investment in the railroad business was not
acquired in accordance with the provisions of local law, but the government was aware of the
situation and did not object for many years; as in the Desert Line case, the Tribunal ruled that
principles of fairness precluded the respondent from raising an objection to the Tribunals
jurisdiction.38
In Kardassopoulos v Georgia,39 the host state argued that the Joint Venture Agreement with the
claimant was void ab initio because the state entities which had signed had acted ultra vires. The
Tribunal found several reasons why the claim submitted was nevertheless protected under the BIT.
Primarily, the Tribunal pointed to assurances given to the investor.40
In Aguas del Tunari v Bolivia,41 the Tribunal had to interpret a BIT which provided that each party
would promote cooperation through the protection of investments within the framework of its law
and regulation and that investments would be admitted by each party subject to its right to
exercise powers conferred by its laws or regulations. The respondent did not allege any fraud, but
argued that these clauses subjected the dispute to the domestic tribunals. The Tribunal found that
the first clause only referred to the states duty to promote cooperation. With regard to the
admission clause, the Tribunal also interpreted its scope in a limited manner and tried to explain its
position in light of the object and purpose of the treaty as follows:
The Tribunal notes that the reference specifically subjects the States duty to admit
investments not to the laws and regulations of Bolivia, but rather to the right to exercise
powers conferred by such laws or regulations. The Tribunal finds this language significant
as it implies an act at the time of admittance in accordance with the laws or regulations in
force at that time.42
The first case in which a tribunal denied jurisdiction on the basis that a violation of the in
accordance with the laws clause had occurred was Inceysa Vallisoletana v El Salvador.43 The
Tribunal had to apply the BIT between Spain and El Salvador, which did not refer to compliance with
national laws in the definition of investment but in the provisions on admission and protection.
The Tribunal found that in the bidding process that led to award of the concession, the claimant
had presented false information on its financial status, about the experience and ability of its
administrator, and about the identity and experience of a strategic partner supporting the
claimants bid. The Tribunal referred to the principle of good faith, to international public policy, and
to the rule that no one should benefit from his own wrongdoing. The Tribunal ruled that
References
(p. 96) El Salvador had given its consent to jurisdiction by the International Centre for Settlement of
Investment Disputes (ICSID) on the condition that the claimant would act in accordance with the
law:
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Chinese University of Hong Kong; date: 06 January 2016
In conclusion, the Tribunal considers that, because Inceysas investment was made in a
manner that was clearly illegal, it is not included within the scope of consent expressed by
Spain and the Republic of El Salvador in the BIT and, consequently, the disputes arising
from it are not subject to the jurisdiction of the Centre. Therefore, this Arbitral Tribunal
declares itself incompetent to hear the dispute brought before it.44
The Tribunal found that these considerations applied not only to the consent given under a treaty
but also to the jurisdictional rules contained in domestic legislation.
In Fraport v Philippines,45 the Tribunal applied the BIT between Germany and the Philippines which
defines investment as assets accepted in accordance with the respective laws and regulations of
either Contracting State. In addition, the treatys provision on admission refers to investments in
accordance with its Constitution, laws and regulations.
Legislation in the Philippines contained restrictions on shareholding and management by foreigners
in public utility enterprises. The Tribunal found that Fraport had sought to circumvent this legislation
by way of secret shareholder agreements. It concluded that, in view of the investors conscious
violation of the host states law, it had no jurisdiction:
Fraport knowingly and intentionally circumvented the ADL [that is, domestic legislation] by
means of secret shareholder agreements. As a consequence, it cannot claim to have
made an investment in accordance with law. Nor can it claim that high officials of the
Respondent subsequently waived the legal requirements and validated Fraports
investment, for the Respondents officials could not have known of the violation. Because
there is no investment in accordance with law, the Tribunal lacks jurisdiction ratione
materiae.46
The Fraport Award was annulled, on 23 December 2010, on the ground that the right to be heard
had not been properly observed.47
Outside the context of a treaty, in an arbitration based exclusively on a contract between the
investor and the host state, the Tribunal in World Duty Free v Kenya48 had to decide whether acts
of bribery during negotiation of the contract prevented the claimant from complaining about
violations of the contract by the respondent state. The Tribunal emphatically found that this was the
case. As bribery was contrary to the international public order of most states and to the applicable
national laws and regulations, the contract was void and the investor could not complain of
violations of the contract on the part of the host state:
References
(p. 97) In light of domestic laws and international conventions relating to corruption, and in
light of the decisions taken in this matter by courts and arbitral tribunals, this Tribunal is
convinced that bribery is contrary to the international public policy of most, if not all, States
or, to use another formula, to transnational public policy. Thus, claims based on contracts
of corruption or on contracts obtained by corruption cannot be upheld by this Arbitral
Tribunal.49
Footnotes:
1
Originally the Consensus was nothing more than a research paper by John Williamson at the
Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics; for its history, see J Williamson,
From Reform Agenda to Damaged Brand NameA Short History of the Washington Consensus and
Suggestions for What to do Next (2003) Finance & Development 10 .
2
From: Oxford Public International Law (http://opil.ouplaw.com). (c) Oxford University Press, 2015. All Rights Reserved. Subscriber:
Chinese University of Hong Kong; date: 06 January 2016
I Shihata, Recent Trends Relating to Entry of Foreign Direct Investment (1994) 9 ICSID ReviewFILJ 47.
6 P Juillard, Freedom of Establishment, Freedom of Capital Movements, and Freedom of Investment
German Model Treaty of 2005, Art 2(1). On the clause accepted in accordance with the
respective laws and regulations of either Contracting State, see Fraport v Philippines, Award, 16
August 2007, para 335 (subsequently annulled on different grounds).
9
See Treaty between Japan and Bangladesh Concerning the Promotion and Protection of
Investment concluded on 10 November 1998, Art 2(2).
10
See pp 927.
11
12
1. No Party may impose or enforce any of the following requirements, or enforce any
commitment or undertaking, in connection with the establishment, acquisition, expansion,
management, conduct or operation of an investment of an investor of a Party or of a nonParty in its territory: (a) to export a given level or percentage of goods or services; (b) to
achieve a given level or percentage of domestic content; (c) to purchase, use or accord a
preference to goods produced or services provided in its territory, or to purchase goods or
services from persons in its territory; (d) to relate in any way the volume or value of
imports to the volume or value of exports or to the amount of foreign exchange inflows
associated with such investment; (e) to restrict sales of goods or services in its territory
that such investment produces or provides by relating such sales in any way to the volume
or value of its exports or foreign exchange earnings; (f) to transfer technology, a
production process or other proprietary knowledge to a person in its territory, except when
the requirement is imposed or the commitment or undertaking is enforced by a court,
administrative tribunal or competition authority to remedy an alleged violation of
competition laws or to act in a manner not inconsistent with other provisions of this
Agreement; or (g) to act as the exclusive supplier of the goods it produces or services it
provides to a specific region or world market.
On the understanding of these provisions, see Merrill & Ring v Canada, Award, 31 March 2010,
paras 111 et seq (requirement of advertisement for the export of logs not a restriction on the export
of logs, because of a lack of sufficient connection with export itself).
14 An investor would presumably have a right to invoke the TRIMs Agreement before an
investment tribunal if both states parties concerned are members of the WTO. This would be
beyond doubt if a BIT refers to other existing international obligations that could be invoked by the
investor.
15
See Protocol to the Treaty between Germany and Bosnia & Herzegovina concluded on 18
October 2001, para 3(c). See also on this point UNCTAD, Bilateral Investment Treaties 1995
2005: Trends in Investment Rulemaking, Draft (2006) 129 et seq.
16
See Art VII(1)(b) of the Treaty between the United States and Nicaragua concerning the
Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investments, signed on 1 July 1995.
17
See Treaty between Australia and Egypt on the Promotion and Protection of Investments of 3
May 2001, Art 5.
18
See U Kriebaum, Illegal Investments (2010) Austrian Yearbook on Intl Arbitration 307 ; C
From: Oxford Public International Law (http://opil.ouplaw.com). (c) Oxford University Press, 2015. All Rights Reserved. Subscriber:
Chinese University of Hong Kong; date: 06 January 2016
Knahr, Investments in accordance with host state law (2007) 5 Transnational Dispute
Management .
19 Plama v Bulgaria, Award, 27 August 2008, para 144.
20
According to Rumeli v Kazakhstan, Award, 29 July 2008, para 319, protection of a BIT will be
denied only in cases of a breach of fundamental legal principles of the host country (following LESI
v Algeria, Decision on Jurisdiction, 12 July 2006, para 73).
21 Plama v Bulgaria, Award, 27 August 2008.
22
At para 133.
23
At para 146.
At para 58.
28
At para 127. The Tribunal followed Fraport v Philippines, Award, 16 August 2007, para 344.
29
30
At para 46.
At para 84.
33
At para 85.
34
At para 86.
35
36 At paras 97123.
37
40
At paras 17194.
At para 147.
At para 257.
45
46
At para 401.
47
At para 157.
From: Oxford Public International Law (http://opil.ouplaw.com). (c) Oxford University Press, 2015. All Rights Reserved. Subscriber:
Chinese University of Hong Kong; date: 06 January 2016