New Frontiers for EU Investment Policy

With the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009, the EU became a global actor in the field of foreign direct investment. Since then, the field of EU investment policy has been gradually shaped by numerous political changes, judgments and opinions delivered by the Court of Justice of the EU, as well as lively scholarly debate. Today, a clear division between the "internal" and "external" dimensions of EU investment policy has emerged, which constitutes the general topic of this book. Within these dimensions, additional - and sometimes contradictory - facets of the EU's multi-layered approach to investment protection can be identified. On the one hand, EU investment policy is shifting toward a decentral approach when it comes to substantive standards of investment protection. On the other hand, the EU is following a multilateral approach with regard to procedural innovations in investor-State dispute settlement.