The ongoing sanitary emergency imposes a number of questions concerning the sustainability of the current economic and social model and its future development. The emergency is also challenging the process of globalization and the role of foreign direct investment (FDI): what role could FDIs play to sustain the economic recovery of the Autonomous Province of Trento and of the whole Country after the emergency? How could FDIs be regulated in order to avoid economic, sanitary social and environmental crises in the future? How to promote and protect the FDIs made by domestic corporations abroad in case of crises? The project aims to answer the above questions starting from the analysis of the instruments currently in place for the regulation of FDI, notably: bilateral investment treaties (BITs), investment contracts executed by and between the State or its territorial entity and the foreign investor, and the agreements in place between the local community and the foreign investor. The purpose is to verify whether and to what extent these instruments may be employed by the Autonomous Province of Trento to sustain the economic recovery of the territory and its sustainable development after the crisis. The project will approach two different perspectives: the attraction and regulation of FDIs in the territory of the Autonomous Province of Trento and the promotion and protection of FDIs made by domestic corporations abroad. The project will explore the application and the content of investment contracts and local community/foreign investor agreements to favor the sustainable development of the Autonomous Province of Trento, on the one hand; and the application and content of BITs and investment contracts to promote and protect domestic corporations’ FDIs abroad in case of crises, on the other hand.
Researcher
Sondra Faccio (PI) (School of International Studies, University of Trento)
Supervisor
Marco Pertile (School of International Studies, University of Trento)
Partner
Confindustria Trento
Funding
Fondazione Caritro (in the framework of Post-doc Fellows Call 2020)
Publications
S. Faccio, “Dall'UE nuovi obblighi per le imprese sul rispetto dei diritti umani e dell'ambiente con sanzioni per chi non le rispetta”, Il Dolomiti, 28 maggio 2021 (https://www.ildolomiti.it/blog/orizzonti-internazionali/dallue-nuovi-obb...)
S. Faccio (2021). Public Participation in Arbitral Proceedings. In A. Kent, E. De Brabandere, T. Gazzini (Eds) Public Participation and Foreign Investment Law: from the Creation of Rights and Obligations to the Settlement of Disputes, pp. 283-331. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill | Nijhoff.
S. Faccio, Il “New Deal” della globalizzazione e la sfida del rinnovo delle concessioni idroelettriche in Trentino", in il Dolomiti - Blog Orizzonti Internazionali, Feb 2021.
Events
Conference "Fondi di Investimento e Imprese: Nuove Prospettive e Investimento Sostenibile in Trentino" - 5 November 2021
Seminar "Contratti e Trattati Bilaterali in materia di Investimento. Focus sulla Forza Maggiore" - 11 June 2021
Seminar: 2º Agro & Negócios – Lobo de Rizzo Advogados (San Paolo, Brasile), title of the paper: “Sustainable FDIs in Europe. New Challenges and Instruments for States and Companies” - 18 May 2021
Contribution in the framework of the Festival 'Siamo Europa': on-line event '4 Sguardi sull’Europa', open to the general public: title of the paper “L’impresa per uno sviluppo sostenibile in Europa” - 13 May 2021
Conference "Green Economy in Trentino. Sostenibilità e crescita raccontate dalle imprese del territorio" - 22 April 2021
International Conference 10th Cambridge International Law Conference: 'National Sovereignty and International Co-operation: The Challenges of Navigating Global', title of the paper: “International Investment Law after the Covid-19 Emergency. The Way through Investment Contracts” - 19 March 2021