Over the past 30 years, merger control has become well-established around the world with broad consensus around its ambit and objectives. That consensus has fractured in recent years. Enforcement today is at a critical juncture, facing an array of challenges and calls for reform unprecedented in their scope and intensity. Authored by leading legal practitioners, economists, enforcers and jurists, this timely Research Handbook on Global Merger Control discusses those challenges and predicts how merger control is likely to evolve.
At the time of a paradigm change Foreign Investment, Strategic Assets and National Security is a timely analysis of the changing attitude towards foreign investment in major economies, namely the United States of America, the People's Republic of China, Australia, Canada, and Germany, France and the United Kingdom as representatives of the European Union.Foreign investment has grown steadily for decades, and the de-regulation of international trade and investment was a widely accepted trend, particularly in developed countries. Increasingly, however, this development is encountered by opposition. Globalisation and socio-economic effects of mergers and acquisitions of domestic firms by foreign investors receive less support from the general public. Concerns about national security, protection of new technologies and competitiveness are raised. This leads national and regional legislators to develop new mechanisms to control foreign investments, particularly in light of national security. The widely adopted and traditional ex post approach linked to investment treaties is now enhanced by an increased focus on the phase prior to the actual implementation of the investment.This legal development and the new screening systems are captured in this book and it is explained how the present paradigm change is affecting the legal rules in practice. It is a must read for everyone working in the field.
This book presents the very first, interdisciplinarily grounded, comprehensive appraisal of a future “Common European Law on Investment Screening”. Thereby, it provides a foundation for a European administrative law framework for investment screening by setting out viable solutions and evaluating their pros and cons. Daimler, the harbour terminal in Zeebrugge, or Saxo Bank are only three recent examples of controversially discussed company takeovers in Europe. The “elephant in the room” is China and its “Belt and Road Initiative”. The political will in Europe is growing to more actively control investments flowing into the EU. The current regulatory initiatives raise several fundamental, constitutional and regulatory issues. Surprisingly, they have not been addressed in any depth so far. The book takes stock of the current rather fragmented regulatory approaches and combines contributions from leading international academics, practitioners, and policy makers in their respective fields. Due to the volume’s comprehensive approach, it is expected to influence the broader debate on the EU’s upcoming regulation of this matter. The book is addressed to participants from academia as well as to representatives from government, business, and civil society.
Providing a critical examination of EU energy law and policy in its wider context, this book takes into account international energy markets and international energy policies, the economics of energy market regulation, geopolitical aspects of energy policy, and international developments that affect EU energy policy.
This report focuses on special economic zones (SEZs) which are widely used across most developing and many developed economies. It explores the place of SEZs in today's global investment landscape and provides guidance for policymakers on how to make SEZs work for sustainable development. It presents international investment trends and prospects at global, regional and national levels, as well as the evolution of international production and global value chains. It analyses the latest developments in new policy measures for investment promotion, facilitation and regulation around the world.
This open access book focuses on public actors with a role in the settlement of investment disputes. Traditional studies on actors in international investment law have tended to concentrate on arbitrators, claimant investors and respondent states. Yet this focus on the "principal" players in investment dispute settlement has allowed a number of other seminal actors to be neglected. This book seeks to redress this imbalance by turning the spotlight on the latter. From the investor's home state to domestic courts, from sub-national governments to international organisations, and from political risk insurance agencies to legal defence teams in national ministries, the book critically reviews these overlooked public actors in international investment law.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) has grown considerably worldwide in recent decades, alongside the no-less considerable development of international ‘supply chains’. In the European Union (EU), stock held by foreign investors exceeds EUR 6 billion, while stock held in the rest of the world by EU investors exceeds EUR 7 billion. This important book analyses the current and proposed regimes of FDI screening in the EU, highlighting mechanisms designed to enhance FDI’s advantages and minimize its drawbacks. Leading practitioners, policymakers and academics discuss the 2017 European Commission proposal on FDI screening and its resulting Regulation, focusing on such issues and topics as the following: the economics of FDI screening; rising protectionism versus further investment liberalization; how the EU framework connects with WTO rules; the dangers of foreign investment in sectors essential to public order and security; how the EU regulatory layer interacts with FDI screening at Member State level; and perceived lacunae in the way the EU addresses incoming FDI. Two detailed examples of how FDI screening works in practice are included, along with a comparative view of FDI screening in the United States. Contributions commenting specifically on the EU Regulation deal with the process of adopting the Regulation and the impact of opposing views, and how the Regulation aligns with EU policy in the areas of trade, investment and competition. Companies engaged in FDI or financial services will appreciate the detailed analysis of issues raised by this new EU policy instrument. Practitioners active in competition law, particularly M&A, will welcome this clear commentary and analysis of a crucial component of EU policy in the related areas of trade and investment, and policymakers will be encouraged to consider whether further regulatory changes are called for.
This document examines the global and regional evolution of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and offers recommendations so these flows can contribute to the region's productive development processes.
