3. Settlement of investment disputes

Globalization is increasingly taking the form of foreign direct investment (FDI) and technology transfer, hence the proliferation of bilateral investment agreements (BITs). Today, there are 3,200 such agreements, of which 2,500 have come into force and are effectively applied.

• Bilateral investment agreements (BIAs)

  The first was signed in 1959 between Germany and Pakistan. This was followed by numerous European and Asian countries, including Japan, which signed with Egypt in 1977.

  Since the 1980s and 1990s, these agreements have been multiplying between developed and developing countries, as well as between developing countries themselves. For example, the United States has signed 40 bilateral agreements and 14 free-trade agreements with 20 countries, 6 of which include a chapter on investment....