New trade court would ‘not prevent’ legal battles

The European Commission’s proposed new investment protection measures would not stop corporations suing governments as has happened under existing free trade agreements, a new study has claimed.

The proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and US has faced significant opposition despite the projected benefits both sides claim it would have on economic growth and employment.

One of the greatest concerns centred on the Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism which was to allow for protection of European companies investments in the US and vice versa.