Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T16:46:12.165Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Methanex Corporation v. United States of America

ICSID (Arbitration Tribunal).  03 August 2005 .

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2021

Get access

Abstract

Jurisdiction — NAFTA, Article 1131(1) — Whether tribunal has jurisdiction to review violations of GATT — NAFTA, Articles 1116 and 1117 — Limitation on tribunal's jurisdiction — Whether tribunal may seek guidance in GATT/WTO jurisprudence

Procedure — Applicability of lex loci arbitri to procedural matters — UNCITRAL Rules, Article 32(2) — Whether partial award is final and binding — UNCITRAL Rules, Article 15(1) — Whether tribunal may reconsider a partial award at later stage — UNCITRAL Rules, Article 35 — Whether partial award has different binding force from final award

Jurisdiction — Challenge to arbitrator — UNCITRAL Rules, Article 12(1) — No power of UNCITRAL tribunal to decide challenges to arbitrators

Jurisdiction — NAFTA, Article 1101 — Measures relating to investors and investment — Affirmative finding under Articles 1102, 1105 and 1110 of NAFTA as evidence of “relationship” under Article 1101 — Failure to show intention to harm foreign producers — Failure to show a significant connection between the challenged measures, the investor and the investment

Procedure — Amendment of claim — UNCITRAL Rules, Article 20 — Whether claimant may rely on amended legislation as evidence — Due process of law — Whether claimant may bring new claim relating to amended legislation — NAFTA, Article 1121(1) — Requirement of waiver — When amendment permissible under Articles 1116 and/or 1117 of NAFTA — Requirement to show loss and damage

Evidence — Admissibility of evidence — Requirement to make request for disclosure of evidence in timely manner — Good faith in collecting evidence — Claimant's indifference to the legality of evidence collected — UNCITRAL Rules, Article 15(1) — Equal treatment and procedural fairness — UNCITRAL Rules, Article 25(6) — Tribunal's discretion to admit evidence — No value of evidence obtained unlawfully — Credibility of evidence — When tribunal may resort to inference

Interpretation — Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, Article 32 — When recourse to supplementary means is appropriate

Interpretation — NAFTA, Article 1102 — Cumulative requirement to demonstrate intention to favour domestic investors and “like circumstances” — Whether comparator of “like circumstances” should be whole industry or identical investor — Intention to discriminate — Whether GATT/WTO jurisprudence is relevant in interpretation

Interpretation — NAFTA, Article 1105 — Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, Article 31(3)(a) — Whether interpretation by NAFTA Free Trade Commission is a “subsequent agreement” — NAFTA, Article 1105, minimum standard of treatment — Whether measures arbitrary, unfair, unjust and discriminatory — Whether differentiation between nationals and aliens permitted — Customary international law

Expropriation — NAFTA, Article 1110 — Measure tantamount to expropriation — Whether regulation for public purpose expropriatory and compensable

Costs — UNCITRAL Rules, Article 40 — Whether unsuccessful party should bear all costs — Apportionment of costs — Reasonable costs

Type
Case Report
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)