Lebanon and Israel sign a historic maritime boundary deal, triggering the immediate commencement of exploration and exploitation of oil and gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea

Following-up on our earlier blog post (available here), the leaders of both Israel and Lebanon have yesterday signed a historic deal delimiting their maritime boundaries, marking a new era for both countries and paving the way for further offshore energy exploration in the Mediterranean Sea.  The accord will enter into force shortly, once the US … Read more

NAVIGATING THE LOW OIL PRICE ENVIRONMENT PODCAST: HOW INVESTMENT TREATIES CAN PROTECT FOREIGN INVESTMENTS AGAINST STATE ACTION

Oil prices have recently reached historic lows and oil companies are faced with a number of potential legal issues as the prices impact their trading and operational agreements. In this podcast series, our energy disputes lawyers consider some of the key issues triggered by the current low oil price environment. Even investments into relatively stable … Read more

ICSID RELEASES 2019 CASE STATISTICS

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (“ICSID”) has released case statistics for 2019 and updated their records for cases since 1972 (available here). ICSID has historically administered the majority of investor-state claims and these statistics remain an important bellwether for trends in such disputes. The 2019 statistics show that a lower number of … Read more

Upheaval and uncertainty in mineral regulation in parts of Africa: resurgence of resource nationalism highlights the importance of investment treaty protections

The last few months have seen significant changes to mining regulations in various African states, giving rise to a concern that a regional trend of resource nationalism may be (re-)emerging. In this context it is important for companies associated with the mining sector to be aware of the protection international investment treaties may provide against … Read more

HSF Consultant Antonio Pastor’s book published: “The economic relevance of the settlement of maritime boundaries between States. The role of insular formations”

Herbert Smith Freehills' consultant Antonio Pastor is pleased to announced the release of his book  'Delimitation of maritime boundaries between states. Insular formations and low-tide elevations' (TIRANT LO BLANCH, Valencia, 2017). Commenting on the book, Antonio said: "There is an economic dimension of this subject matter. The settlement of maritime boundaries can have a significant … Read more