Filipe Vaz Pinto and Joana Granadeiro co-author the article "The Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement Between the EU and Angola: A New Model for Investment Agreements?"

Filipe Vaz Pinto and Joana Granadeiro co-author the article "The Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement Between the EU and Angola: A New Model for Investment Agreements?", published on the Kluwer Arbitration Blog, in which they highlight the Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement (SIFA) between the European Union (EU) and Angola as an innovative example for the future of investment agreements. This agreement, signed in November 2022 and in force since the beginning of this year, aims to promote sustainable investments with an emphasis on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, and stands out for not including the traditional investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms.

SIFA seeks to attract European investments to key Angolan sectors, such as agriculture, green energy, and logistics, while strengthening economic relations between the EU and the African continent. The approach focuses on investment facilitation, promoting consultations and ad hoc arbitration as solutions for potential issues, marking a new phase in international agreements.

The lawyers emphasise that, although there may be areas that raise concerns among investors, this agreement represents a crucial step in the EU’s sustainable trade policy, with the potential to influence future investment agreements, particularly in the context of the green and digital transition.

Read the article here.