Parallel Proceedings – Investment Arbitration and the European Court of Human Rights

This contribution addresses the intersection of international human rights law and international economic law in situations where investors can bring claims under both protection systems. It discusses why multiple proceedings concerning one set of facts may be problematic and identifies situations in which duplication may occur. It presents instruments that have been developed at the domestic or international level to prevent this phenomenon. The article analyses the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) as well as of investment arbitral tribunals dealing with parallel or subsequent litigations. The conclusions set out whether the mechanisms used by arbitral tribunals and the ECtHR are adequate to deal with the phenomenon of potential multiple proceedings.